CCU Volleyball defeated UCCS in the RMAC Tournament Quarterfinals in four sets on Tuesday night.  Last season UCCS and CCU faced-off against each other in Colorado Springs, and the Mountain Lions came out with the win in four sets.  It made CCU's win all the more sweet this season.  CCU will continue on to the semifinals at Regis University vs the #1 seeded Rangers.
 
CCU won the first, third, and fourth sets 25-21, 25-19, and 25-22, dropping set two 19-25.  All the sets were close with only a couple runs.  Joelle LeFevre went on the first run in the first set dominating the back row and service line.  She totaled two timely aces and led the team in the back with five incredible digs.  Her relentless defense shut down the Mountain Lions momentum.  CCU outside hitter Marilyn Suarez was also a key player in the first set leading with five kills and no errors.
 
CCU trailed a consistent two points behind UCCS in the second set.  The Mountain Lions stepped up their offense hitting .324% as a team, and the Cougs struggled to keep up.  Both teams had one set under their belts.
 
It was a battle in the third set as both teams gained the lead and the points bounced back and forth. The Cougars were outstanding in the front row with five total blocks and CCU right side hitter Sophia Proano getting seven kills and no errors.  Proano's offense was unstoppable at the pin as the Cougs won the set 25-19.
 
The fourth set started out in the Cougars control.  They had a huge point-stride as Kylee Wurster was on the service line.  The Cougs gained the lead 16-9 with Wurster serving.  UCCS could not defend CCU's offense.  Outside hitter Jacey Johnson totaled four kills, no errors in the fourth set and Proano had six.  UCCS was down 23-19 when they went on a run closing the gap 23-22.  CCU took a timeout and the next two points were UCCS hitting errors giving CCU the win 25-22.  
 
CCU senior Sophia Proano had one of the best games of her playing career, tieing her career high in kills with 24.  Proano hit .383% and had three blocks.  Other than Proano all the Cougars did a solid job in their respective positions.  The highlight of the night was when CCU junior setter Kylee Wurster became the CCU career all-time leader in assists totaling 3579.
 
This will be the first time since the 2013 season that CCU Volleyball has been to the semifinals of the RMAC Tournament.  The Cougars will be playing at Regis University Friday, Nov. 17^th.  Time to be determined.