DENVER, CO – The sixth seeded Cougars returned to the court Friday against #2 seed Colorado Mesa to compete in the RMAC semifinal game in hopes for a win to secure a spot in the RMAC title game. After an impressive battle on the court by Colorado Christian, they came out on top with a 3 – 0 sweep, clinching a well-earned spot in the RMAC Championship game for the first time in program history. 

The Cougars started the first two points out with blocks by Renee Phillips, Abby Newell and Izzy Jones. Lilly Woods pushed a ball to the deep corner to get the Cougs up 5 – 1. Jones then aced the Mavericks to put the Cougars at a 6-point into the first timeout of the night. The Mavericks found their way back into the game, closing the gap to put the score at 11 – 8. Jones took an offensive opportunity and dumped the ball right onto the Mavericks side to put her team back up at a 6-point lead. Woods later slammed a ball down as the Cougars lead grew to 21-12 . After a pair of kills by the CMU, Colorado Christian closed the set on a Megan McNitt kill for the 25-19 win. 

The start of set two for the Cougars was a little slower for as the Mavericks took a 4-point lead, but Phillips picked the pace back up for the Cougars with a kill from the right side. The Cougars kept the momentum as Woods slammed home another ball, tying the score 5 – 5. As set two continued, a back-and-forth affair ensued as the Cougars fought hard to keep the lead. With an amazing save by Kristina House and another kill by Newell, the Cougars went up by one in the close set. CCU picked up their momentum again with an ace by Shelby Hernandez putting the Cougars at a 4-point lead, the largest lead the Cougars had held throughout set two. The points continued to go back and forth between the two teams to keep the set close. CCU found their stride at the right time as kills from Newell and Connelly Kilgore gave them set point at 24-19. An attack error from Mesa closed the second set in favor of the Cougars 25-19.   

The Cougars started set three off strong with a kill by Phillips and an ace by Hernandez to put the score at 3 – 0. Kilgore tallied a strong block, and after a kill by Newell put CCU up 5, the Mavericks were forced to take a timeout. CMU rallied to make it 12 – 12, but Jones won a joust at the net to put the Cougars up again. Just when the Mavericks made a move, CCU responded with one of their own as a McNitt and Phillips block sent the Cougars ahead 20-15. With the score sitting at 22-20, a service error from Mesa put CCU two points away from the sweep. They closed out the statement win with a block from Woods and Jones and an error from CMU as they claimed a 25-20 victory to punch their ticket to the RMAC Championship game for the first time in program history. 

Newell led the offense with 10 kills, followed by 9 from Woods and 8 by Kilgore. Jones recorded 30 assists while Hernandez had 10 digs. Woods was dominant at the net with 7 blocks while Jones and Newell each had three. 

With history already made with their appearance in the finals, the Cougars will look to keep cementing their legacy at Colorado Christian as they hope to claim the program's first ever RMAC title on November 23 against #1 seed and host MSU Denver. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. MST inside the Auraria Event Center.