Season ends for Knights Volleyball

The season is over for the North Platte Community College Knights volleyball team. 

NPCC fell to Central Community College in three sets Saturday during the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX Championship Game in the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium. The scores were 26-28, 10-25 and 22-25. 

The Knights were the No.1 seed going into the match. The pressure was on throughout the game but intensified at the end of the first set when the teams tied 25-25 then 26-26. A failed block on NPCC's part gave Central the win by two points.

 The Raiders hit the ground running in the second set – eventually pulling ahead 21-8. The Knights gained two more points, but it wasn't enough. Central added the next four, rounding out the set 25-10.

 North Platte bounced back and took the lead in the third set, tied at the three-point mark, then remained tied off and on for the rest of the set. Central finally broke free at the end, finishing 25-22.

 Kim Krise, of Briggsdale, Colo., accumulated 12 kills during the game for the Knights. Morgan Ramsey, of Bartlett, added 11, and Avery Johnson, of Hayes Center, had nine. 

Allie Schneider, of Humphrey; came through with 35 assists. Madi Neely, of Broken Bow, went for 13 digs, and Tessa Metschke, of Chambers, contributed seven. 

"We just couldn't execute," said NPCC Head Volleyball Coach Alexa McCall. "We struggled to put things together, and it just wasn't enough. I'm proud of our sophomores and want to thank them for the positive impact they have had on our program. It's unfortunate that we came up short for how hard they have worked." 

The Raiders will now advance to the Northwest Plains District Championship. 

NPCC finishes the season with a 17-15 overall record and 3-3 conference record.