Palominos move up to No. 16 in national poll
After bringing down two powerhouses Saturday, Oct. 4, the Laredo Community College volleyball program moved up two spots to capture the No. 16 ranking in the Division 1 volleyball poll released Wednesday, Oct. 8 from the National Junior College Athletic Association.
LCC
suffered their first
loss of the season Oct. 3 against Region XIV conference leader San
Jacinto College, but the Palominos quickly rebounded the following day to defeat
Lee College and Midland College.
With the defeat, Lee dropped from No. 14 to No. 20 in the national poll. Midland (25-2), which continues to receive votes in the national poll, endured their second loss of the season against LCC.
“With the wins over Lee and Midland, Laredo Community College is making a strong statement about the team’s talent and skills,” head coach Binny Canales said. “Of course, we’re not going to let down our drive because we know that Lee is going to come back with a vengeance when we play them again in about two weeks at their home court.”
The Lady Palominos have now suffered their second loss of the season to Temple College during a non-conference match held on Saturday, Oct. 11 in Temple, which has been receiving votes in the national poll.
"Temple played tough and unfortunately our team was just not focused to grab a win. Our team needs to understand that every match is important and that in order to win, we need to step it up another notch," Canales said.
Individually, several Lady Palominos also garnered accolades for being ranked in various statistics.
Among the team’s standouts is Anastasia Fogatu, a 6-foot middle blocker from Hawaii, who is currently ranked in blocks per game (6), hitting efficiency (8) and kills per game (12).
Laredoan Ariana Bermea also garnered an impressive ranking as fourth in assists per game.
Other bright spots on the team include: aces per game, Barbara Silva (43); blocks per game, Silva (27), hitting efficiency, Heather Sanchez (41), and Silva (41).
Canales emphasized that a solid team effort is what helps players attain their individual accomplishments.
“Everyone on the team is putting their best talents forward, and that’s good because with individual success comes team success,” Canales said. “It shows that the players are responding well as a team. And with the individual honors, they are demonstrating how they continue to raise their level of play on the court.”
The Palominos’ next home match is against conference foe Galveston College on Friday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Maravillo Gymnasium. The action continues on Monday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. when LCC hosts Wharton County Junior College in a rescheduled match in the LCC gym. Admission to the matches is free and open to Palomino fans.
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