LAKEWOOD, CO- Colorado Christian opened conference play on Friday with a matchup at Chadron State. In an absolute classic, CCU showed grit and resiliency in a thrilling five-set victory to start 1-0 in the RMAC.
The Eagles got off to a 4-1 lead in set one, but the Cougars rallied back to a 6-6 tie after a block from
Krista Traynor and
Ana Aguilar. The set remained tight for the most part until a four-point run put the hosts in front 17-12. CCU never got closer than within four points the rest of the way as CSC claimed the 25-20 set win.
Determined to level the match in set two, CCU took an 8-6 lead after consecutive kills from
Connelly Kilgore. Tied at 14 apiece midway through the set, it was the Cougars with a pivotal four-point run led by a pair of aces and a kill from
Sienna Thatcher. Kilgore and
Jenna Bell combined for a block later in the set, and they closed things out 25-19 as the match stood tied at 1-1.
Chadron State raced to an early 7-2 advantage in set three, but CCU chipped away at the deficit and an
Allie Allen ace tied things at 12-12. The teams battled from there, trading points for a majority of the set before an
Ana Aguilar kill made it 21-20 CCU. The Eagles roared back for a 23-22 lead, and they scored the final two points of the set to make it 25-23.
Leading 7-6 early in the fourth set, the Cougars ripped off five straight points led by a pair of Traynor aces and three kills from Kilgore. They continued to roll to a 15-8 lead before CSC began to mount a comeback. Down 6 21-15, the Eagles rattled off six straight points to tie the set at 21 apiece. CCU kept their composure as
Suzanna Conner and Thatcher notched kills, and Sienna ended the set with a kill for the huge 25-23 set win.
In the decisive fifth set to 15 points, CCU did exactly what they needed to by jumping out to an early lead. Bell and Conner picked up early kills, and a block from Conner and
Aaliyah Simpson comboed for a block followed by a kill from Thatcher forced a timeout from CSC with the visitors leading 7-1. Eventually on top 11-6, the Cougars closed the match in style with four straight points. Bell notched a kill and Traynor placed a serve perfectly onto the back line for an ace to bring up match point. An attack error ended things as the Cougars claimed the dominant 15-6 set win to win the match in five sets.
It was a tremendous overall team effort from the Cougars who were led offensively by a huge 23 kill night from Thatcher. Kilgore was excellent with 20 kills, and Conner notched 14 for her team. Traynor was fantastic once again, notching a career high 59 assists to go along with 17 digs. Allen was stellar at libero with 35 digs, while Conner and Bell led at the net with 4 blocks apiece.
CCU now heads back to the Mile High City for a 3 p.m. MST matchup tomorrow at crosstown rivals Regis as they look to remain perfect in RMAC competition.
