CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team receive 13 kills each from Tamika Eastman and Finja Schul as the Cougars stayed alive for a Region IX title.

                WNCC remained alive by getting past Western Wyoming Community College by the scores of 25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19. The Cougars advance to play Northeastern Junior College Saturday at 11 a.m. with the winner heading to the second championship game to face Laramie Community College.

                Northeastern advanced with a four-set win over Central Wyoming College 20-25, 25-10, 25-22, 25-13. Laramie County fell to the second bracket falling to Eastern Wyoming College in the upper-bracket Region IX championship game. The Lancers defeated LCCC in straight sets 25-23, 25-10, 25-22.

                It was the first Region IX championship for the Lancers since 1998 when they defeated NJC. Twenty-six years later, the Lancers are headed to the national tournament in Tennessee later in November.

                Who will join the Lancers at nationals will be determined Saturday between WNCC, NJC or LCCC.

                For the Cougars, WNCC played tough and kept fighting through all four sets. The Cougars finished with 50 kills in the match with a .230 hitting efficiency. Eastman and Schul led the way with 13 kills each. Schul hit .545 for the contest. Ahleejah Tovo-Sunia tallied nine kills while Lilly Zwart and Chloe Grady each had six kills. Grady had a .545 hitting efficiency.

                WNCC also tallied 97 digs with four players finishing with double-figure digs. Tyser led the way with 37 digs. Tovo-Sunia picked up 20 digs, while Alex Gonzalez-Orozco had 13 and Nora Marginean tallied 11.

                The Cougars also finished with seven aces. Eastman had four aces with six points while Tyser, Tovo-Sunia, and Schul all getting an ace. Tovo-Sunia led the team with 10 service points followed by Schul with eight, and then Eastman, Tyser, and Zwart with six points apiece.

                Marginean tallied 45 set assists with three kills.

                WNCC had to battle back from deficits in three of the four sets. In the first set, Western Wyoming held a 17-13 lead. WNCC came back to take a 16-13 lead behind two Tyser points and the led 24-18 on a Eastman kill. Western Wyoming came back to get to within one at 24-23, but WNCC got the win 25-23.

                The second set was saw WNCC never trail despite there were five straight ties. WNCC finally put some distance between them and the Mustangs, taking an 8-5 lead behind two Schul points and then led 11-6 on two Marginean points. WNCC led by 10 points, 21-11, on four points from Tovo-Sunia and two Eastman kills.

Western Wyoming kept battling as they had a run of seven straight points to make it 23-21. WNCC finally got a sideout from an Eastman kill and then Eastman served the final point on an ace for the 25-21 win.

                WNCC fell behind 8-2 in the third set and trailed 13-7. The Cougars started to find their mojo as they took an 18-17 lead after two Schul points. Things went back and forth after that. The two teams were knotted at 22-22 when Western Wyoming went up 25-22 and won 25-23.

                Western Wyoming started the fourth set with a 4-1 lead and led 12-11 late. A missed Western Wyoming serve put the ball into Eastman's hands and the Sioux County graduate served up four points with two being aces for a 16-12 lead. WNCC led 18-13 after a Tyser point and went up 20-14 on a Zwart point.

                WNCC pushed the lead to 23-17 as Schul got a kill and then a service point that was helped by a big solo block from Grady. WNCC won the fourth set 25-19.