Colorado Christian Volleyball was defeated by CSU-Pueblo in five sets on opening day for conference play. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Cougars, going hard for close to two in-a-half hours, and falling short in the fifth 15-17.
 
Christian had a higher attack percentage than the Thunderwolves hitting .205% to .149%, but struggled in ball control. Pueblo kept possession of the serve more consistently than the Cougs. They defeated our back row with nine aces overall, most of them being very timely in the game.
 
CCU won the first set 25-23, then dropped the second in extra points 26-28. They came back after the loss and absolutely crushed CSUP in the third set winning 25-12. Pueblo's offense was non-existent hitting .067% compared to the Cougs .432%.
 
The fourth set was crucial for both teams. After Pueblo's performance in the third, it was surprising to see their successful turnaround. With three aces and three team blocks the Thunderwolves beat blue and gold 25-23 putting the game into a fifth set.
 
The teams were neck and neck, point for point, trying to gain an advantage in some way. Pueblo and Christian both had eight kills, but the Cougs made too many errors with seven. In addition, the Wolves block was solid preventing any momentum from blue and gold. Despite CCU's errors, they kept the score even all the way until 15-15, when CSU-Pueblo banked the next two points for the win.
 
Head Coach Andria Harshman stated:
 
"This was a tough loss for us in five but Pueblo played a really great match and we just came up short. We were in every set and performed well. We just need to respond to this and come back even stronger tomorrow."
 
Stat Leaders:
CCU's #10 MH Hope Baldrica hit .370% with 13 kills. Right behind her was #5 RS Sophia Proano who had a team high of 18 kills at .325%. Proano had three blocks as well. In the back, libero #17 Mariela Gonzalez totaled 21 digs, while outside hitter #3 Taylor Sturms had 20.
 
The Cougars will be back at the CCU Event Center on 9/17 to play New Mexico Highlands University at 5:00 PM.