Knights drop match to McCook

North Platte, Neb. - The North Platte Community College volleyball team fell 3-1 in four sets to McCook Community College Wednesday night. 

The Knights started out strong. MCC captured the initial point in set one, but North Platte took the lead immediately after that, gradually growing the deficit to 16-12. McCook fought back hard and tied the game 17-17. 

Jaelyn Dicke put down a kill on the next rally bringing the Knights back into the lead. A serve by EmiLee Walnofer just skimmed the net, bumping the score to 22-17 in favor of NPCC. McCook came back within two points then hit the ball out of bounds twice. North Platte won 25-22. 

The back-and-forth action in the second set kept fans on the edges of their seats. MCC took the lead before the Knights tied the game 3-3. McCook pulled ahead by a point, tied again then fell behind North Platte 4-5. 

NPCC continued to inch its way forward. A kill by Emily Johnson and an ace by Aubrey Grant helped the effort, bringing the score to 11-6. McCook tied things up 12-12 then went on an unstoppable run, eventually winning the set 25-14. 

Drawing on the momentum, MCC also ran away with the third set for a 25-9 final score. 

The Knights attempted a comeback in the fourth set but were unable to completely muscle past McCook's offense. MCC took the lead right out of the gate, but North Platte caught up 12-12. The Knights tied the game two more times but never fully gained control. MCC rounded out the frame 25-18. 

Dicke led the offense for the Knights with 13 kills. Vanessa Wood was right behind her with 11, and Johnson had seven. Grant recorded 27 assists. Dicke also went for 10 digs while Walnofer and Grant each contributed nine. 

"I thought we served really well in the first set and put them out of system, which helped us in all other aspects of our game," said NPCC head volleyball coach Alexa McCall. "We showed some fight in set four but have to be able to respond and make better adjustments." 

The loss puts North Platte at 3-11 on the season. 

The Knights will compete in the Lamar Triangular this weekend in Lamar, Colo. They will play Dallas College Mountain View Campus at 3 p.m. Saturday and follow that up with a match against Lamar Community College at 5 p.m.