LAKEWOOD, CO – Hoping to grab an upset and solidify their RMAC Tournament chances, the Colorado Christian volleyball team entered their final weekend of the regular season against CSU Pueblo.
The Thunderwolves put together a solid service effort then overcame a late charge from the home team to record a 3-0 (25-20, 25-11, 30-28) victory.
The Cougars can still clinch a postseason berth with a win in the regular season finale tomorrow evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED: In the opening set the Thunderwolves rode a strong service game to an early match lead. The visitors served up six aces to help offset a Colorado Christian 13-11 kill advantage in the set.
CSU Pueblo raced out to an 11-2 advantage and the home team wasn't able to recover. In that frame the Thunderwolves put together a .440 hitting percentage in helping them grab a two-set lead.
A tension filled third stanza ensued. During a thrilling final set that took 41 minutes to complete, there were nine occasions of the score being tied and a pair of lead changes. Colorado Christian had a set point but the Thunderwolves fought that off. CSU Pueblo eventually won the set on their fifth opportunity.
Colorado Christian didn't allow a service ace past the very early stages in the third set to aid in their comeback attempt. Both teams pieced together quality hitting efforts as the Cougars hit .273 as team while the visitors registered a .354 mark in the final set.
COUGAR LEADERS: Breanna Allen had a match high 14 kills while Libby Goodman chipped-in 11. Allen had a .444 hitting percentage with just a pair of errors on her 27 swings.
Izzy Jones recorded another double-double with a 31-assist, 13-dig performance. It was her fifth double-double of the season. Madelyn Long tied for match high honors in digs with 21.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- CSU Pueblo ended with 10 team services aces
- The match had 14 total ties and five lead changes
- The Thunderwolves have won four straight in the series
UP NEXT: The Cougars conclude the regular season tomorrow when they host UCCS at 7 p.m. Prior to the match Colorado Christian will honor its three seniors.
