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Nine NWC Volleyball Team Members Ill
Trappers Remain Unranked Despite Florida Wins
By RANDAL HOROBIK
Tribune Sports Editor
The Northwest College volleyball team may have recently taken down a trio of top-15 opponents in Miami, but the team is taking it on the chin this week from a different opponent, Illness.
Trapper head coach Flavia Siqueira reported that nine athletes on the NWC volleyball roster were sick as of Wednesday morning. The news comes less than 48 hours before Northwest is scheduled to face Region IX North nemesis Casper College.
"If I have six healthy athletes, we'll go down and play," Siqueira said of the match.
The game against Casper will be Northwest College's fifth consecutive game against an opponent ranked in the top 15 of the nation.
The Trappers lost to eighth-ranked Missouri State University- West Plains to open the Miami Dade College tournament last Friday. Northwest followed that up with wins over sixth-ranked Miami Dade, No. 12 Pasco-Hernando College and No. 13 Hillsborough. Casper enters Thursday's game ranked 14th in the nation with a 22-7 season record.
Northwest is also scheduled for a Saturday contest at Dawson, Mont. That game will wrap up a month-long road trip that will have the Trappers playing 14 straight games away from Powell before it is done.
In the latest NJCAA national volleyball poll, the Trappers remain on the outside looking in at the top 20. Despite the team's south Florida success, Northwest College remains among the others receiving votes in this week's listing.
The NJCAA volleyball rankings for the week of Oct. 14:
1. College of Southern Idaho (21-3)
2. Blinn (22-3)
3. North Idaho (22-4)
4. Western Nebraska (30-2)
5. Salt Lake (20-6)
6. Iowa Western (30-3)
7. Miami Dade (18-3)
8. Missouri State University- West Plains (13-6)
9. Seward County (22-5)
10. Eastern Arizona (16-1)
11. San Jacinto College-Central (23-7)
12. New Mexico Military Institute (26-6)
13. Frank Phillips (22-9)
14. Casper (22-7)
15. Hillsborough (20-6)
16. Florida State College-Jacksonville (20-3)
17. Hutchinson (17-7)
18. Pasco-Hernando (24-7)
19. Laramie County (24-5)
20. Northeastern (19-10)
Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically):
Arizona Western (16-9)
Central Wyoming (22-12)
Indian Hills-Ottumwa (10-8)
Jefferson (15-8)
Laredo (10-7)
Lee (13-9)
Northwest College (17-7)
Panola (17-6)
Pratt (13-10)
Redlands (13-13)
St. Petersburg (10-5)
Wharton County (13-10)
Yavapa (21-12)