It's been a tough seven days for CCU Volleyball. In the span of a week, the Cougars have dropped three matches, all to opponents ranked in the top 25 in NCAA II volleyball. Though the CCU squad put up a noteworthy fight this weekend, the Cougars still return home defeated and disappointed from two matches-worth of narrow misses. The losses – including Saturday's four-game setback at Mines – dropped the blue and gold to .500 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
 
Though the 13^th-ranked Orediggers eventually walked away with Saturday's win, CCU refused to lay down. Six lead changes in the opening set proved a sign of things to come, as Christian made a habit of battling the home team for the advantage. Game one went to the Mines squad, but the Cougars owned the second thanks to a feisty offensive attack. In fact, CCU fared better at the net than their opponents – outhitting the Orediggers in numbers and efficiency through the first three sets.  
 
Unfortunately, as was the case against Metro on Friday night, the Cougars crippled their attempts at momentum with frequent and untimely service errors (13). Mines took advantage of the CCU miscues, and went on to win set three.
 
Unfortunately, CSM would take the fourth as well. The finale marked the only game in which the home Orediggers bettered CCU's offensive showing.
 
Three Colorado Christian players (Ali Weber, Kaylee Pierce, Marnie McIlraith) tallied 12 kills, with McIlraith turning in an impressive .478 kill percentage from the outside antenna. The three hitters marked a bright spot for the Cougars – together they tallied a remarkably low four errors on 79 attempts.
 
Senior setter Jordan Kessler led CCU with 48 assists, while Taylor Sturms notched a team-high 23 digs.
 
Eager to put the week behind them, the Cougars will return home for a trio of conference contests, starting with Regis University on Friday night. Regis enters the contest with a 12-4 overall mark, 7-1 in RMAC play.