PUEBLO, CO- The Cougars traveled down I-25 in a showdown for the top of the RMAC at CSU Pueblo inside Massari Arena on Tuesday evening. After taking the first set, CCU fell in the next three as they ended up dropping the matchup 3-1.
Colorado Christian started hot with a 4-0 run to begin the game, highlighted by a
Connelly Kilgore ace and
Karen Salinger kill.
Suzanna Conner later notched an ace to make it 8-5 before consecutive kills by
Renee Phillips eventually made it 19-15. With set point in hand,
Janelle Deboer slammed the final kill home for the 25-19 set win.
CSU Pueblo raced to an early lead in set two, jumping ahead 12-6 early. The Cougars kept things tight, and
Krista Traynor notched an ace to bring her team within 21-19 late. A Salinger kill and Thunderwolves attack error saw CCU close to within one at 23-22, but the hosts managed to level the match with the final two points for the 25-22 set win.
A back and forth third set saw the two teams battle to a 15-14 score, but CSUP had more at the end as they went on a seven-point run to take control 22-14. They ended up closing the set out 25-16 as they went ahead 2-1.
CSU Pueblo went ahead 12-8 early on in set four, but a four-point run keyed by a Traynor ace and Kilgore kill tied things at 12. Conner put down a kill to tie the set at 15-15, but from there it was all Thunderwolves. A key four-point run from the hosts put them ahead 19-15, and they went on to score the final six points of the match as they closed the match 25-16 for the victory.
Phillips had a big night offensively with 17 kills, while Kilgore had 13 followed by Salinger with nine. Traynor had 44 assists, while
Kristina House had 18 digs followed by Kilgore with 12.
Colorado Christian will return home for a pivotal conference matchup with Colorado School of Mines at the CCU Event Center on October 11 at 3 p.m. MDT.