LAKEWOOD, CO- The Cougars finished pod play at home on Saturday as they took on nearby Colorado School of Mines. After a strong start to take the first two sets, the Orediggers stormed back and ultimately won in a very tight fifth set.
CCU started out strong, jumping to a 7-3 lead with an ace from Izzy Jones. Connelly Kilgore put down a kill to make it 11-7, and later a Lilly Woods kill made it 19-15. Abby Breeding closed out the set with a kill to give her team a 1-0 set lead with a 25-21 victory.
The next set began well again for the Cougars as they took a 5-1 advantage after a kill from Libby Goodman. Renee Phillips leveled things at 12 as the set began to tighten up. Things got interesting at the end of the set as Mines took a 24-22 lead, but CCU stood firm to stave off a pair of set points. A Goodman kill and CSM error closed out a four-point run to win the set 26-24 and put Colorado Christian on the verge of a sweep.
Things started out looking like it would be an easy set for the Cougars as they took a fast 8-2 lead on a kill from Goodman. Renee Phillips later made it 14-5 with a slam as the set progressed. Down 21-15, Mines went on a long run of eight points to take a 23-21 lead. CCU tied it at 23, but a controversial call on set point gave the Orediggers a 25-23 set win.
The way the third set ended gave Mines life as they found a renewed energy on offense to take a 17-13 lead deep into the set. The Cougars rallied to get as close as 23-21 on a Phillips kill, but CSM got a kill to end the set and push the teams to a deciding fifth set.
After Mines jumped on top 5-1 in the 15 point set, CCU rallied back to 7-6 with a Breeding kill. They later closed to 14-13 as it came right down to the end, but Mines was able to end things with a kill for a reverse sweep to take the win 15-13.
Kilgore led the offense with 19 kills, followed by Goodman with 17. Izzy Jones tallied an impressive 50 assists. Jessamyn Rose was strong at libero with 16 digs, while Phillips led with four blocks.
The Cougars will continue RMAC play on October 6 as they head to nearby Regis with first serve slated for 7 p.m. MST.
