Badgers upset Westerners, defeat Bulldogs to keep postseason hopes alive

Amarillo College needed a win at Western Texas College on Saturday to keep their postseason aspirations within reach.

The Badgers accomplished that feat and played spoiler on the Westerners' Sophomore Day in Snyder.

Amarillo College defeated Western Texas College in four sets (25-19, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23) to move one game behind the Westerners for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.

"We executed in every phase of the game and showed we've been making strides as a team each and every week," Amarillo head coach Scott Sandel said. "It was a complete-team effort and a important win for the program."

Following a dominant third set by the Westerners, Amarillo College returned to their early-match form in the fourth frame.

With the score tied at 3-3, the Badgers went on a 7-0 run via five Westerner errors, an ace by Alicia Torrez, and a kill by Madison Kellogg.

Amarillo College's lead grew to as many as eight points (14-6) before the home team closed their deficit to one point at 22-21.

McAden tooled the block at the middle of the net to end the contest ensuing a pair of WT errors. The sophomore from Abilene finished the matched tied for a team-best kill total (10).

"That fourth set speaks to how resilient we have become and how battle tested we were going into that match," Sandel added.

Dumas High product and sophomore transfer Abree Elsheimer added 10 kills – her second-highest total of the season.

The Badgers' hot streak at the service line continued as AC recorded a double-digit ace total (10) for the third time in the last four games.

McAden had a team-best three aces, followed by Taylor Irving, Skylar Rivers, and Torrez, who ended the contest with two aces each.

Irving, a sophomore, had a team-best 18 digs while freshman Ellie Okikawa tallied her second-highest assist total of the season (20) as the Badgers primary setter.