(courtesy NPCC Athletics)
Scottsbluff, Neb. – The North Platte Community College volleyball team fell in the Region IX semifinals to No. 4 Northeastern, 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-10, on Thursday.
Setter Kiley Kearney paced the offense with 34 assists, while Makenna Stephenson powered the attack with 14 kills on 43 swings. Defensively, Zoe Maher anchored the back row with 14 digs, followed closely by Makenzie Piper with 13.
“We played hard, and I was happy with our play in the first three sets,” said head coach Alexa McCall. “We have to just reset and be ready for tomorrow.”
North Platte opened the match strong, as a kill from Lual sparked a 7-0 run to start the first set. Northeastern battled back to take a 12-11 lead after a Knights attacking error. The set remained close, but the Plainswomen maintained a slim advantage down the stretch, sealing the frame with a kill after a North Platte service error.
The Knights again started fast in the second set, jumping ahead 4-1 before Northeastern responded with a 5-0 run to go up 9-6 and force a North Platte timeout. The set saw three ties, the last at 19-all after a North Platte block, but a late Plainswomen kill and a Knights error gave Northeastern a 2-0 lead.
Northeastern took an early 3-2 edge in the third set, but North Platte responded with a 5-0 run sparked by another Lual kill. In the closing stages, the Knights received a big boost from Stephenson, as a kill off the block allowed the Knights to regain control, before a block by Kearney extended the match.
In the fourth, Northeastern jumped ahead 10-5 and never looked back, limiting North Platte to just five more points to clinch the match and advance to the finals.
In the loss, the Knights (16-15) move into the Northwest Plains B bracket, where they will compete for the second automatic qualifier from Region IX. Knights open play against Laramie County on Friday, with first serve set for 1 p.m. in Scottsbluff.
