On the heels of a hard-fought loss at Clarendon College, Oct. 11, the Amarillo College Badgers faced a near must-win scenario entering Wednesday’s home match against New Mexico Junior College.
The Badgers responded from their loss to the Thunderbirds three weeks ago and kept their postseason hopes alive as a result with a convincing four-set victory (25-23, 25-22, 18-25, 25-11) at the FirstBank Southwest Center.
In the first set, the Badgers rallied from a 17-14 deficit to secure early momentum. Freshman Sam Cardona recorded two kills and two blocks during the final stages of set one.
Galligan broke a 23-23 tie from the left side of the net, vaulting AC to a first-set victory.
With the score at 21-20 in set two, a Yuna NG kill and Emery Bryan ace gave the Badgers a 23-20 advantage. NG added a block, which was followed by an NMJC over-the-net call to conclude the second frame.
The Badgers dished out nine aces compared to just two service errors and improved their passer rating from 1.87 against Clarendon to 2.11 versus New Mexico JC.
The victory was the first of the season for AC when hitting below a .100 clip (.096).
Delany Galligan had a team-high 13 kills on 41 swings while Jaelynn Jackson (.308 clip) and Chayse Wilson (.500 clip) were the most efficient hitters of the evening.
AC claimed sole possession of the fourth and final playoff spot with Wednesday’s victory against NMJC.
Badgers move to 1-4 on the road in WJCAC play
In a battle between the fourth and fifth-place teams in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, Midland College utilized its seasoned international pedigree for a three-set win (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) in oilfield country Saturday.
Ipek Kusoglu, a sophomore from Turkey, put down a match-best 13 kills (.310 clip) and fellow sophomore Luisina Sandrone, an Argentine native, added 10 kills (.296 clip).
Zeynep Gumusay, a freshman from Turkey, tallied a team-best four block assists.
The Badgers showed fight early, as AC surged to a 16-13 advantage in the first set before the Chaps took the lead for good at 18-17.
Midland College cruised to second and third-set victories, leading from start to finish in each frame.
Bryan recorded a hitting percentage over .300 for the 11th time this season against MC. The Poolville native and former WJCAC Player of the Week put down nine kills on 18 attempts (.389 clip).
Jayli Franklin ended the match with a team-high three blocks while London Baker had a team-best 14 assists. Franklin and Olivia Whitfield tallied two aces apiece.
Up next, the Badgers head to Odessa for a clash against the eighth-ranked Wranglers on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and will be streamed by The Sports Broadcasting Network.
AC will return home to host 14th-ranked New Mexico Military Institute on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m.