GOLDEN, CO- Volleyball opened up their season with a pair of matches at the Oredigger Classic hosted by Colorado School of Mines on Friday. The Cougars fell in the first matchup against San Francisco State, but bounced back nicely with a 3-1 victory over Augustana (SD).
GAME ONE
The first set started as a back and forth affair as the two teams stood knotted at 9 after a kill from Alli Douglass. However, the Gators went on a run from there, eventually pulling ahead 21-14. SFSU ended up winning the set by a score of 25-16.
The second set was the best of the match, as neither team gained much separation throughout. After trailing early, the Cougars went on a run thanks to three aces in a row from Abby Breeding and a Douglass kill. Trailing 17-13, CCU got back into the set thanks to a kill and ace from Suzanna Conner. A late three-point run erased a set point for the Gators and tied the match at 24 apiece. Extra volleyball was needed, but SFSU went on a late three point run to stave off a Cougar set point and go up 2-0 with a 28-26 win.
The Gators took an early lead as they pushed for a sweep and went up 12-7 early. Kills from Breeding and Renee Phillips drew the Cougars to 16-12, but they never got closer as San Francisco State took the set and the match 25-19.
Douglass led with nine kills, while Izzy Jones dished out 31 assists. Phillips tallied four blocks and Madelyn Long picked up eight digs.
GAME TWO
Intent on securing a win in their second game of the day, the Cougars came out firing in game two against Augustana (SD). Breeding was dominant as she put down three kills in a row at one point as CCU pulled ahead 11-5. However, a long Vikings run put them on top 17-14 in the set. Augustana took control from there, claiming the set 25-20.
The second set was even early, but the Cougars pulled ahead 12-9 thanks to an ace from Long. They furthered the lead to 21-17 on kills from Douglass and Lilly Woods, and a Vikings error closed out the set 25-19 in favor of CCU.
The third set was a battle, but Colorado Christian led early on a kill from Breeding. Conner slammed one home to push the advantage to 13-8, but the Vikings refused to go down easy. Trailing 23-18, Augustana clawed their way back to a tie at 24 apiece. However, CCU closed out the set thanks to several attacking errors from the Vikings that led to a 26-24 set win.
With the end in sight, the Cougars focused on their offense and it led to great results. During an eight point run in the middle of the set, Phillips tallied four kills while Douglass notched a pair for a 13-7 lead. More dominance ensued the rest of the set from CCU as they pulled ahead 20-11 on a Woods kill. Woods finished the match off with a slam as Colorado Christian claimed their first victory of the season with a 25-13 set win.
Breeding was on fire all match, tallying 14 kills while Douglass had 11. Jones dished out an impressive 44 assists, while Woods played excellent defense with five blocks. Long finished the night with 18 digs as she covered the court superbly throughout.
Day two of the Oredigger Classic is next for the Cougars as they begin with a 9 a.m. MST matchup against Fort Hays State University. They close the tournament with a 4 p.m. MST game against Pittsburg State University.
