Your future, our focus
BY DAVID DICKEY
Tribune Sports Editor
Lady Trappers topple CWC, follow with loss to WWCC
A pair of matches during a road swing through Riverton and Rock Springs translated into a 1-1 showing for the Lady Trappers last weekend.
On Friday night, NWC opened the weekend by defeating Central Wyoming College 19-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 in Riverton. The following day, the Lady Trappers faced Western Wyoming Community College and lost 22-25, 21-25, 21-25.
For the Lady Trappers, the match loss to the Mustangs was their first since going 5-1 in the WCCAC Pre-season Tournament in Riverton Aug. 28-30.
"Our game against CWC was great," said Flavia Siqueira, NWC head coach. "Our players came out a little bit confused with the new lineup we had, but after the first set, we played well. We were loud and finally able to read the fast offense that Central runs. We played defense very well, and as a team, we had 105 digs.
"On Saturday, I am not sure what happened. We were not focused and acted like the game was already in the bag even before we started to play. I warned them and said that WesternWyoming was a great team and was not going to give the match to us. I'm not taking the victory away from Western Wyoming. They worked hard and deserved to win. But for sure, we did not play to the best of our ability. I was disappointed at my players for the first time this season."
During the match with Central Wyoming, Lady Trapper sophomore setter Carol Martin was among the leaders for NWC with 42 assists and 21 digs. Thabata Galvao added 16 kills, and Maddie Peterson contributed with 11 kills and 20 digs.
Against WWCC, Martin again was among NWC's top performers. She finished with 23 assists and 19 digs. Peterson added seven kills, and Marisa Shigetomi chipped in with 13 digs.
Up next: So far, all of NWC's 21 matches have been played away from the friendly confines of Hank Cabre Gymnasium, and the Lady Trappers (15-6) will be on the road again this week when they take part in the Wyoming-Nebraska Shootout in Torrington and Scottsbluff, Neb.
According to Siqueira, the Lady Trappers will face seven different squads during the event, which is scheduled to begin Thursday, Sept. 18 and conclude Saturday, Sept. 20.
Teams on the schedule for NWC during the three-day tournament include Western Nebraska Community College, McCook Community College, Colby Community College, Trinidad State Junior College, Seward County Community College, Williston State College and North Platte Community College.
"We will be facing ranked teams this week, and hopefully we will fix the mistakes of this past weekend," Siqueira said. "Thabata is hurting with a shoulder injury, and Kayla (Propes) has strep, but we should be able to make adjustments this week during practice and have a good tournament."
When the Trappers return to Powell following this weekend's tournament, they'll gear up for their first home match.That home date is Monday, Sept. 22 against Dawson Community College at 7 p.m. Prior to the match, NWC will conduct an event called the Trapper Tailgate Party.
The tailgate party is a family affair, complete with upbeat music, volleyball contests, prizes, hot dogs and cookies. Admission to the Trapper Tailgate is free, but a hot dog plate with chips and a cookie costs $2.