NMJC Upsets No. 19 Amarillo, Earns 4th Ranked Win

The T-Birds outlasted No. 19 Amarillo College in four sets to earn their first WJCAC win of the season.

The victory on Saturday, Sept. 20 is their fourth ranked win of the season. 

Amarillo and NMJC were tied up at 16 apiece to start the first set. NMJC outscored the Badgers 9-5 over the next 14 points to win the first set 25-21 on a Duda Tonella kill.

The second set NMJC led 15-10. The T-Birds maintained the five-point lead 22-17 and went on to grab a commanding 2-0 advantage with a 25-17 win. The third set was a grueling battle for NMJC. The T-Birds had three match points and fought off one set point but ultimately, they dropped the set to Amarillo 29-27. 

The Badgers exchanged points constantly with NMJC throughout the fourth set as they took a 20-19 lead. NMJC caught fire behind a raucous home crowd to win six straight points and earn the win via a 25-20 tally in the fourth.  

Outside hitter Gabriela Rebolledo recorded a career-high 11 kills in the four-set win. Leticia Neves also added 11 kills Saturday afternoon.

Setter Noemi Marinho earned her sixth double-double of the season with 19 assists and 15 digs. Outside hitter Deniz Akgul ended the match with nine kills and six blocks.

Sophomore middle Duda Tonella finished with eight kills and seven blocks. Freshman Elif Akarsu added six blocks. Libero Lauren Shiplet posted 12 digs. 

The Thunderbirds move to 10-8 (1-1) on the year and will play Western Texas College on Wednesday, Sept. 24 against Western Texas College at 6 p.m. CDT in Snyder, Texas.