After a five set match to close out their regular season campaign, the Cougars took the loss to Regis University.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Starting out steady, both teams were consistent to start the match. However the Cougars were able to jump out on top after they were up 15-12, and went on a 3 point run to separate themselves by 6. From there Colorado Christian continued to notch away at their lead, and finished the match with a senior block from Hope Baldrica and Kylee Wurster to win 25-19.
Set two saw the teams go almost identical from the offensive line. Colorado Christian went 16 kills, 5 errors, and 42 attempts for a .262. Regis went 17 kills, 5 errors, and 43 attempts for a .279 to give them the upper hand. Going back and forth the entire set, the teams were tied up at 18. Regis then took the lead and never gave it back, winning 25-22.
The set three slump seemed to hit both teams on the offensive end. Although the Cougars hit negative in set three, they still kept the score close. Both teams hit their match low with Colorado Christian hitting a -.023 and Regis hitting a .098. The Cougars started out with the lead, but the Rangers had a couple long runs to rally back and take a five point lead. From there they continued to prevail and win 25-21.
Coming out of their slump in set three, the Cougars came out in set four and doubled their kills from the previous set to get the match high of 18. They started out with a 4-0 lead and never let the Rangers work their way back in. At one point Colorado Christian got comfortable with their 8 point lead that Regis took advantage of. They went on a 4 point run to shorten the difference but the Cougars stuck it out and won 25-21 to take it into the deciding set.
The Ranger offense took over in the fifth set, hitting an impressive .533 and landing 4 aces. Regis took the match after they finished the fifth set with the win, 15-7.
MATCH LEADERS: Leading the Cougars offensively was outside Cali Bahnsen with an incredible 20 kills. Also in the double digit range was Jacey Johnson and Ashley Drye with 10 a piece. Leading in percentage was Kylee Wurster, who had 8 kills to hit a .444. Wurster also notched a double-double with 46 assists and 13 digs. Leading defensively was libero Mariela Gonzalez with 26 digs. For the first time this season five Cougars were in the double digits for digs, including Jacey Johnson with 16, Christa Tucker and Kylee Wurster with 13, and Kaira Smith with 11.
WHAT'S NEXT: The loss closes out the Cougars regular season to give them an RMAC record of 11-7, and an overall record of 13-14. Finishing with the #6 spot in conference, the team will travel to Grand Junction to play #3 Colorado Mesa on Tuesday, November 6th at 7pm for the first round of the RMAC tournament. A loss will end their season, but a win will push them on to the semi finals on Friday, November 9th.
