Women's Volleyball | 8/28/2022 11:54:00 AM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4 HASTINGS, NE, - This past weekend, the Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies Volleyball team made the trip to Nebraska to compete in the Hastings Volleyball Classic in Hastings. The Aggies faced up against Presentation College and York College on Friday the 26th of August, and then faced off against Bethel College and Kansas Wesleyan College on Saturday the 27th of August. The Aggies finished the competition with a record of three wins and one defeat, giving them a 6-2 record for the season.
 
On Friday, the Aggies dominated Presentation College by winning all three sets in a sweep. They were on fire throughout the match. The offensive was led by seniors Lesly Galarza and Remi Vargas, who respectively had 21 and 10 assists. Galarza also had seven digs, while Vargas had five digs. In addition, Rebecca Candido had a total of six kills, Essence West had a total of three kills on eight attempts and eight digs, Bryanna Rosario had a total of six kills and 21 digs, Ava Newby had a total of four kills, and Angela Youngs had a total of twelve kills. On the defensive end for the Aggies, Gracie Soza had with 17 digs.
 
In the second match, the Aggies faced up against a York College team that played with a lot of intensity. The entire night was a fight, with the Aggies trading points back and forth. The Aggies were victorious because they maintained their discipline on defense and dug up 62 balls throughout the play. Gracie Soza, a junior, had 11 digs and one service ace in the game. Teammates Ashley Sanchez had 7 digs, Remi Vargas had 8 digs, and Lesly Galarza had 9 digs.   Offensively, the Aggies were led by Essence West. West recorded a double-double consisting of 13 kills and 13 digs, in addition to one ace serve and two solo blocks. Freshman Bryanna Rosario had 14 kills, hitting .278. And, Rebecca Candido with 6 kills, hitting .545 and had 2 block assists. The final score of the fight between the Aggies and the York College Panthers was 3-2 in favor of the Aggies.
 
The Aggies played Bethel College for the second time this year on August 27. It was the second meeting between the two teams. Ava Newby, a freshman, junior Joelle Laforce, and Essence West, a senior, significantly contributed to the Aggies' victory. Newby finished with 7 kills and a .222 hitting percentage. Laforce had 12 kills, hitting .395 and had 3 block assists. And, West finished with 21 kills while hitting .395 overall. Defensively, Ashley Sanchez had 10 digs and Gracie Soza had 14 digs.
 
The Aggies faced up against the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes in the final game of the tournament. The Aggies had a good opportunity throughout the match, exchanging points and keeping up with the Coyotes. Despite this, the Coyotes were victorious over the Aggies in the end.
 
Lesly Galarza and Remi Vargas both contributed to the Aggies' offense's success as setters. Both of the Aggie team's setters delivered skilled sets, which paved the way for the aggressive onslaught by the team's hitters. Essence West had 17 kills 1 service ace and 15 digs, Angela Young had 15 kills and 11 digs, Joelle LaForce had six kills 1 solo block and 1 block assist, and Bryanna Rosario had seven kills, 2 service aces and 12 digs. Ebony Dykes' strong blocks (1 Solo and 2 Block Assists) and Gracie Soza's (15), and Ashley Sanchez's (6)  and the team with a total of 77 digs.
 
Head Coach Julie Allen shared, "It was a great weekend for the Aggies, we faced very strong competition all weekend from teams in different conferences and regions. I am extremely impressed with the team's determination, trust in each other, and resiliency. I look forward to the season."
 
Up next for the Aggies is to head to Hobbs, New Mexico. The Aggies will compete against the University of Southwest (USW) on August 29^th at 5:00 pm. The game will be live-streamed by USW on Mountain Time Zone.