Amarillo College volleyball starts season with 2-2 mark at NMMI Classic

With an abundance of incoming talent and a savvy group of returning veterans, the Amarillo College volleyball team began its 2024 season on Friday at the NMMI Classic primed to take a step forward in year two of the Coach Scott Sandel era.

The Badgers displayed their untapped potential from the get-go in Roswell, N.M.

Amarillo College started the two-day event with a pair of four-set victories, defeating Tyler Junior College (25-18, 25-23, 24-26, 25-23) and Dodge City Community College (25-18, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22).

On Saturday, AC was swept by Eastern Arizona College (25-21, 25-18, 26-24) and fell to seventh-ranked Weatherford College in a five-set match (21-25, 15-25, 25-18, 25-14, 15-8) to end the event with a 2-2 record.

Sophomore and Bushland graduate Kaela Neie tied the fifth-highest kill total (16) in team history during her Badger debut against the Apaches. Neie, a former two-time state champion for the Lady Falcons, was named to the NMMI Classic All-Tournament team on Monday.

Neie had a team-best 58 kills via a .230 hitting percentage and tallied 13 digs as the team’s primary outside hitter.

The upperclassman’s kill total is now tied for the most in a four-game span since the reboot of athletics, matching Madison Kellogg’s record from the 2022 season.

At the service line, fellow sophomore Ellie Okikawa set a new precedent in the ace column. The defensive specialist and Reagan High School alum tallied 13 aces at the NMMI Classic.

The mark set a four-game record, surpassing Jaron McAden’s 12 aces in a four-game span in 2023.

After only practicing for one week upon a late decision to return to the sport, West Plains graduate Jayli Franklin played a significant role during the Badgers season-opening stanza.

Franklin accumulated a team-best hitting percentage (.243) for players with at least 10 attack attempts. Franklin led the team in digs (41) and ranked third in kills (27).

Freshmen setters Madeline Lentz and Anau Tua’one split distribution duties over four games. Tua’one had a team-best 83 assists while Lentz closely followed with 81.

Freshman middle blocker Jaelynn Jackson had a team-best seven blocks while playing in 15 of AC’s 16 contested sets.

Amarillo College begins a four-game road trip in Colorado on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at Trinidad State College. The Badgers travel to Lamar on Wednesday to play the Lopes and Pratt Community College in back-to-back contests.

The road trip in Colorado concludes on Thursday morning with a matchup against Otero College.