GOLDEN, CO- The Cougars closed the final day of the Oredigger Classic with a pair of matches against Valdosta State and Davenport. CCU played well for a sweep of the Blazers, but fell in the tournament finale 3-1 to the Panthers. 

GAME ONE VS. VALDOSTA STATE
A hot start for the Cougars carried them in the first set as Janelle DeBoer and Suzanna Conner got going immediately with kills and Savannah Majeski tallied an ace for a 5-1 lead. CCU never trailed from there as Abby Hess and Sierra Crist sent them ahead 22-13, and they closed the 25-16 set win on a kill from Alissa Gregory-Obiedo. 

Set two was a closer affair as VSU led 13-10 at one point, but a four-point run helped by four Blazers errors saw CCU go ahead 15-14. Renee Phillips put one down and the errors continued for VSU as Connelly Kilgore finished the set with a kill for the 25-20 set win. 

The third set was a back and forth affair as the teams stood level at 18 after a block by DeBoer and Conner. Trailing 22-20, CCU locked in and scored 5 of the next 6 points as they sealed the sweep over the Blazers. 

Kilgore paced the effort with eight kills followed by seven from Crist and six from Phillips. Krista Traynor notched 23 assists while Kristina House had 12 digs. 

GAME TWO VS. DAVENPORT
The final game of the tournament for CCU was a highly competitive one as the Panthers and Cougars went after it. The first set was a thriller as a tight back and forth affair went past 25 points. Conner and Kilgore got kills to tie it at 25 apiece, and facing set point at 28-27, they buckled down for three straight points. Crist put down a kill and DeBoer notched an emphatic block to close out the set for the Cougars 30-28. 

A long run midway through the set saw CCU go ahead 14-12, and Crist and Phillips had kills for a 22-20 lead. However, the Panthers scored 5 of the last 6 points for the 25-23 set win. 

Set three was another tight one as a DeBoer kill and pair of kills from Phillips saw the score sit at 22-22. Once again the Panthers closed strong with three straight points for a 25-22 win. 

After streaking to an 8-3 lead, CCU saw Davenport go on a long run to take the lead back, and the Panthers never looked back as they pulled away for a 25-16 victory for the 3-1 win. 

Phillips led the offense with 14 kills, and Kilgore and Conner had 12 and 10 collectively. Kilgore was named to the All-Tournament team with a combined 42 kills across four competitions in Golden. Traynor had an excellent 42 assists, and House had 15 digs followed by Kilgore with 10. 

The Cougars now look ahead to their home opener and a chance for redemption against Angelo State at the CCU Event Center on September 9 at 6 p.m. MST.