Snyder, TX - Women's volleyball hosted their fifth annual WTC Fall Classic over the weekend.
For the fifth consecutive year, Head Coach Melissa Avila and the volleyball program invited various teams from across the state to join in an opening weekend tournament. Blinn, Mt. View, Temple, Richland, Clarendon and Southwestern traveled to Snyder Texas to kick off the 2024 season in grand fashion. Split between the WTC Coliseum and the on-campus court, each team played four games.
The event started at 10am in which the Blinn Buccaneers took on the Mt. View Lions. Blinn College took the first victory of the tournament in convincing fashion with a sweep win over Mt. View, 3-0. At noon, two games took place with one on campus and the other at the Coliseum. The Southwestern Jinxes took on the Clarendon Bulldogs on campus while WTC had their first showing of the season against the Temple Leopards at the Coliseum.
Game 1 vs Temple City, W 3-2
Head Coach Avila began her season with four returning athletes with….. The program also welcomed eight newcomers to the Westerners squad that look to make a positive impact. The Westerners started off strong with a nine point set win over the Leopards, 25-16. The second set brought a more competitive matchup with Western Texas College behind midway through. Down five, Western Texas worked to get back into set two, 13-18. In an incredible effort, the Westerners came within one and forced a Temple timeout, 18-19. However, the second set would go to Leopards to tie it at a set apiece, 1-1.
Though the home team found themselves down early in the third set, they continued to battle back and forced a Leopard timeout, 13-15. Out of the stoppage, Western Texas knotted up the score, 15-15. The Westerners would fall again late in the third set, 17-25. Faced with a loss, Western Texas showed up big in the fourth set with a 12-point win to force a fifth set, 25-13. The Lady Westerners made an incredible two set comeback to win their first game of the season in five sets, 15-5.
Game 2 vs Mt. View, W 3-0
After a huge come from behind victory earlier in the day, the Lady Westerners faced off against the Mt. View Lions. Mt. View played the first game of the tournament as they won in a clean sweep over the Blinn Buccaneers at 10am. Western Texas won in a thrilling finish against Temple College in five sets. The host squad jumped ahead in the first set versus Mt. View with a commanding seven point victory, 25-18.
The second set would see a more exciting race to 25-points with the match being a back and forth affair. The Westerners were able to separate when they reached 20-points, however the Lions did not go down easy. Mt. View came within one and pressured Western Texas in the end of the second set. In an exciting fashion, the Westerners took the second set 25-23 to go up two, 2-0. Western Texas jumped out to a hot start in the third set as they scored their first four points unanswered. The Lady Westerners took charge for the rest of the match to win the third and final set, 25-14.
Game 3 vs Richland, 3-0
Day two of the tournament started early Saturday morning, as Western Texas competed against Richland at 9am. The Thunderducks ended the first day of the tournament 0-2 with losses against Blinn and Clarendon. The Lady Westerners went into the second day with two victories over the Temple and Mt. View. Western Texas was dominant in their first showing of the day with a 25-10 victory over Richland.
The second set would go down to the wire with the Rubberducks two points away near the end. However, Western Texas pulled away in the end, 25-22. The Westerners went on a run to begin the third set with five unanswered points. Richland crept back into the final set but Western Texas persevered for a sweep, 25-19.
Game 4 vs Southwestern Christian, 3-0
Western Texas remained undefeated as the team headed into their fourth and final game of the weekend. The Lady Westerners showed up on a roll to start their matchup against Southwestern Christian. The team finished their second sweep and looked to win all four games of the tournament. Southwestern Christian gave Western Texas a tough battle in the first set but the Westerners pushed through for the victory, 25-20. Again in the second, it was a close finish as the home team snuck past the Rams, 25-21. But for the final and third set, the Westerners separated early to close out the sweep, 25-7.
Head Coach Avila and her team had a very triumphant weekend as they won each matchup and finished with three consecutive set sweep victories. Western Texas College and the volleyball program was incredibly excited to host seven teams for a successful two-day tournament. Westerners Athletics is looking forward to another opportunity to compete against or host these six great athletic programs.
UP NEXT: Westerners volleyball will be traveling to Ranger for the Wrangler Ranger Round. Their first game will take place on Friday, August 30th against Dallas College Eastfield.
Stay connected with the Westerners through social media. Follow Western Texas College Athletics on Twitter @WTCSportsOne. Check in with the Westerners on Facebook/WesternTexasCollegeAthleticsHPE and on Instagram @wtc_athletics.