After finishing 6th in conference, the Cougars first round of the RMAC tournament was set against the 3rd place team. Colorado Christian traveled to Grand Junction to play the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa on Tuesday, November 6th at 7:00pm. After just three sets, the Cougars were swept and closed out their 2018 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Cougars earned the first point of the match but the set was back and forth to begin. The teams were tied up at 7 when the Mavericks went on a three point run to separate themselves. A couple more series of runs and Mesa had taken a comfortable lead. Colorado Christian went 9 kills and 9 errors to hit a .000, and lost the set 25-18.
Set two saw the Mavericks jumping on an early lead, the greatest difference being 8 points. The Cougars were not willing to give up quite yet and went on a few runs of their own, after winning some momentum changing long rallies. Although Colorado Christian out hit the Mavericks in set two with a .200, they weren't able to take the win with a final score of 25-22.
Starting out with a 4-1 lead, the Cougars were off to a strong start. Mesa responded with an 8 point run to take a 5 point lead and continued to press on. Colorado Christian shortened the deficit to 2 but was unable to tie it back up. The Mavericks closed out the match with a 4 point run to win set three and take the match 25-17.
MATCH LEADERS: Leading the Cougars in kills was a tie with 8 from both
Cali Bahnsen and
Ashley Drye. From a percentage side,
Kylee Wurster led with a .600. Leading in digs was
Mariela Gonzalez with 23. Also in double digits was
Christa Tucker with 11.Â
WHAT'S NEXT: The season ending loss gives the Cougars their 2018overall record of 13-15 and a conference record of 11-7. Graduating only two seniors the team will return 14 from their roster. Colorado Christian hopes to capitalize on all the returning talent to bring some experience into the 2019 season. Looking to the immediate future the Cougars are focusing on growing in the off season by playing against some new teams and refining individual skills.
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