Saturday night's volleyball contest was a disappointing one for Colorado Christian University – in more ways than one. Though CCU pushed the 20^th-ranked Mavericks of Colorado Mesa in the opening set, controversial officiating crippled the home Cougar squad's momentum in the closing moments of the game. The blue and gold would never recover, and the result was a disappointing three-set loss for Colorado Christian – the first at home this year for the 10-5 squad.
 
In addition to questionable calls, a tough CMU attack (53 kills, .244) put the Cougars on their heels. Though junior Marissa Lumpkin had little trouble with Mesa's assault, CCU struggled to turn her head-turning digs into a threat at the net. Lumpkin finished the match with a team-high 16 digs.
 
Indeed, it was a slow night for CCU's hitters. The group managed just 35 kills in the loss, making Saturday's just the third match this year – all losses – that the Cougars tallied 35 kills or fewer.
 
Christian captain Taylor Sturms led CCU with 14 kills and eight errors for a .103 kill clip. Middle Angie Jurek's near-perfect showing included six kills, no errors, and three blocks.
 
Another challenging stretch awaits the Cougars this week – they'll face Metro State and #12 Colorado Mines on the road.