MC Volleyball finishes season in Region V West championship match

Dragana Cvoric (2011 WJCAC Most Valuable Player)

By Forrest Allen
MC Athletic Director

The Midland College volleyball team's rollercoaster season came to an end in a 3-0 loss in the NJCAA Region V West Tournament Championships. The match, which was played on Saturday, November 4th at 4:30 p.m., saw the Lady Chaparrals versus the Western Texas College Lady Westerners. Midland College had previously defeated Western Texas on both occasions during conference play.

Heading in to the regional tournament, Midland College was a hot team having gone 15-3 since mid-September, which includes an 8-1 record in the WJCAC. Midland College won the 2011 conference championship and had won a share of the title in 2010. Midland College opened the regional tournament against the #4 seed Frank Phillips College. While #3 Western Texas drew #2 New Mexico Military Institute in the tournament opener. MC defeated FPC 25-16, 26-24, 25-18 to advance to the finals against Western Texas. WTC defeated NMMI in a five set match following the Midland-Frank Phillips match.

Against Western Texas the Lady Chaps seemed out of sync and struggled to find a way into the match. Midland's best offensive weapons couldn't seem to find an open area of the court. Lady Chap kills leader Dragana Cvoric was held to 6 in the match while Sarah Sawyer could only record two kills in the 25-17, 25-19, 25-21 loss to the Lady Westeners. Midland's Brittany Serrano picked up 8 kills to lead the Lady Chaps. Freshman Keli Key-Wilson also recorded 18 digs in the contest.

The loss prevented the Lady Chaps from a repeat Region V West title and a return to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Midland College ended the season with a 18-13 overall record. The loss also ended the MC careers of four outstanding student-athletes Addision Zaya, Trinity Walker, Sarah Sawyer and Brittany Serrano recorded a two-year overall record of 53-20 (.726), a two-year WJCAC record of 15-2 (.882), two WJCAC titles, two NJCAA Region V West Finals appearances, the 2010 NJCAA Region V West Championship and a 2-2 record in the 2010 NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championships.

Lady Chap Individual Stats vs Frank Phillips College:
Kills: Cvoric 13, Sawyer 8, Serrano 6, T. Walker 5, Victoria Smith 5, Breanna Ruble 1
Assists: Ruble 33
Digs: Key-Wilson 17, Cvoric 13, Ruble 8, Zaya 7, Sawyer 6, Serrano 6, T. Walker 1, Smith 1
Blocks: Sawyer 5, Smith 2, Cvoric 1, Serrano 1, T. Walker .5, Ruble .5
Aces: Ruble 2, Cvoric 1, Serrano 1

Lady Chap Individual Stats vs Western Texas College:
Kills: Serrano 8, Cvoric 6, T. Walker 5, Smith 3, Ruble 2, Sawyer 2
Assists: Ruble 24
Digs: Key-Wilson 18, Cvoric 12, Serrano 11, Ruble 6, Sawyer 5, Zaya 4, T. Walker 3
Blocks: Sawyer 1.5, Smith 1, T. Walker .5, Ruble .5, Serrano .5
Aces: Zaya 2, Ruble 1, Sawyer 1

Post Season Awards:
The annual WJCAC coaches meeting was held the day prior to the tournament and Midland's Dragana Cvoric was named the conference's Most Valuable Player. Teammate Keli Key-Wilson was named to the All-WJCAC team while Sarah Sawyer and Brittany Serrano were both named to the All-WJCAC Honorable Mention team.