LAKEWOOD, CO- CCU continued play at home on Saturday with a matchup against UCCS. The Cougars hit effectively and played excellent defense on their way to a four-set victory over the Mountain Lions. 

The first set was a tight one throughout as the teams traded points as they attempted to get on runs. A Megan McNitt kill and a pair of slams from Renee Phillips made it 8-7 Cougars, and Lilly Woods later made it 14-11 with a kill. Suzanna Conner got in on the action with a pair of kills to make it 17-13, but UCCS fought back to trail just one 20-19. From there it was all CCU as they rattled off five straight points, capped by a block from Woods and Izzy Jones for the 25-19 set win. 

The back and forth nature of the match continued in set two as the two teams battled to a 9-9 tie early in the set. Some unfortunate mistakes led to the visitors taking a 21-13 advantage. The Cougars rallied back to within 21-18 with a five point run led by a Woods takeover with a kill and consecutive aces. After back-to-back attack errors from the Mountain Lions cut the gap to 22-21, UCCS settled down to get the last three points and claim the set 25-21. 

Woods continued to be nearly automatic with another kill early in set three, and Conner gave her team the 9-6 lead. Abby Newell and McNitt put down kills for a 17-11 lead, and another Woods kill made it 23-18. An attack error from UCCS closed out the pivotal third set with a 25-20 victory.

Intent on closing the match out in four sets, Colorado Christian jumped to a lead after a pair of kills from Woods to make it 13-10. Phillips later put down a key kill for an 18-17 lead, while a Conner made it 23-22. Woods bright the Cougars to match point with a kill, and a beautifully placed ball from McNitt closed the match out with a 25-23 set four victory. 

Woods was tremendous all night for the Cougars, hitting at an incredibly efficient clip of .679 with a team high 19 kills and six blocks. Phillips followed with 14 kills while Newell registered 11. Jones was stellar throughout with 49 assists, while Shelby Hernandez tallied 19 digs to lead the defense. 

The Cougars will hit the road again for a matchup at Adams State on October 18 at 6 p.m. MST.