LCCC upends Casper College for seventh straight win
Oct. 7—CHEYENNE — The Laramie County Community College volleyball team continued its recent hot streak on Saturday, picking up a 26-24, 25-13, 23-25, 25-17 win over visiting Casper College.
The teams battled for each and every point, but the big guns came through for the No. 18-ranked Golden Eagles down the stretch to secure the win.
"We played hard all day and knew it was going to be a battle," LCCC coach Zach Shaver said. "Our goal was to be in system more than they were, and in the three sets we won, we were."
The Eagles held a slim lead through a majority of the opening set, before going on a 6-0 run to take a 23-17 lead. But shortly after, Casper made things interesting with a 6-0 run to tie the opening frame at 24. But LCCC secured the 26-24 win with two straight points.
The Eagles dominated the second set, putting together an 8-0 run to take a 10-3 lead. Casper got within five points midway through the set, but LCCC went on to score 10 of the final 13 points to take the second frame 25-13.
After Casper won a back-and-forth set 25-23, the Eagles came back to win the fourth and final set.
The win marked LCCC's seventh in a row and 10th in its past 11 matches. The Eagles have been stout during the streak and have allowed only match to go to five sets.
"Just playing together and staying together from the beginning (is what has allowed us to go on this run)," said LCCC freshman Addyson McArthur, who tallied 13 kills and 12 digs. "Preseason was tough, but I think that ultimately brought us together."
The biggest benefit to the Eagles during this impressive run has been in the team's constant desire to get better.
"We are just continuing to look for little ways to improve each day and doing what we do well a little more," Shaver said. "That's helping us play more consistent volleyball."
Depth has also played a critical part in the Eagles' success. While sophomores like Demi Stauffenberg and Sadie Christiansen continue to be critical pieces of the team's success, LCCC has had a multitude of freshman step up.
McArthur came into the game leading the team with 260 kills. Not far behind her is former Cheyenne East standout Elysiana Fonseca, who leads the team with 89 blocks on the season.
"We do have a lot of depth on the team and being able to kind of turn onto each other and rely on each other (has been huge)," McArthur said. "When things get tough, we are going to win and lose together, and we have been able to make sure we can fight together."
The Eagles' success since Sept. 14 has set them up nicely for the stretch run of the season. With the way the team has been playing, LCCC remains confident of its chances heading into last three weeks of the year and Region IX tournament.
"It's not going to be easy," Shaver said. "I do think that players understand that we do have some things to work on. The fact that we have that depth (as well) will help keep us fresh on some things, as well."
Stauffenberg added 14 digs and 13 kills, while Christiansen posted 14 digs. Freshman setter Kate Ohlsen dished out 37 assists for LCCC, which plays at Eastern Wyoming on Tuesday.
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Matt Atencio covers Laramie County prep sports for WyoSports. He can be reached at matencio@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @MattAtencio5.
