After an incredible night of volleyball, Colorado Christian defeated #21 Colorado School of Mines. The win for the Cougars gave the Orediggers their first conference loss. The first time the teams met this season the Cougars lost at home in five but this time they traveled to Mines house and won in four.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The match began as a tight game, but unforced errors allowed for the Orediggers to take a five point lead in the middle of the set. However the Cougars were able to rally back and shorten the difference to tie up the set at 21's. The Orediggers offense stepped up and finished off the set, taking the win 25-22. This was the best offensive set for the Orediggers.
Switching it up from set one, this time the Cougars had a five point lead early in the set. But Mines rallied back as well to tie it up and then take the lead. The battle continued until Colorado Christian took the lead after being tied up at 16's, thanks to their offense earning six kills to finish up the set and win by three, 25-22.
With each teams with one set a piece to their name, set three was crucial in determining the momentum of the rest of the match. Not taking the pressure lightly, the teams traded leads numerous times after taking turns going on long runs. Yet again the Cougar offense was able to remain steady and finish out the set, taking the lead at 12's and not looking back. Colorado Christian took set three with the largest margin of the match of 6 points, 25-19. Set three saw the match high hitting percentage from the Cougars with a .303.
Now with a 2-1 lead over Mines, Colorado Christian had some leeway going into set four. Trading leads of 2-3 points continued throughout the set until the teams were tied up at 20. From there, the Mines offense finished off the set with both kills and errors to give the Cougars the win. The pressure was on when the teams were tied up 26-26, but with a kill by Cali Bahnsen and an ace from Christa Tucker, the big victory was sealed.
MATCH LEADERS: Three Cougars were in double digit kills on the night. Cali Bahnsen led with 13, followed by Katie Henry and Ashley Drye with 10 a piece. Leading in percentage and making her RMAC debut after a pre-season injury was Hope Baldrica with .800, who also tallied an impressive 3 solo blocks and 6 assists. Setter Kylee Wurster had 43 assists and 3 kills in the win. Defensively, Mariela Gonzalez led the Cougars with 15 digs, followed by Jacey Johnson with 10. Perhaps the most significant stat on the night and a large credit to the victory was the blocking game. The Cougars tripled the Orediggers blocks, tallying 18 to Mines 6.
WHAT'S NEXT: The win gives the Cougars an overall record of 10-11, and an RMAC record of 8-4. For their next match, the team will travel south to play the Mountain Lions of UC Colorado Springs on Saturday, October 13th.
