SAN DIEGO, CA- The Cougars closed their trip to California on Saturday with a matchup against the host Point Loma. CCU battled hard, but in they ended they would be swept by the #11 Sea Lions inside Golden Gymnasium.
Sienna Thatcher and
Krista Traynor came out firing with early kills, and things stood level at 6-6 before PLNU ripped off a six-point run. The Cougars rallied back, going on runs of four and three points to pull within 16-14, but the Sea Lions had other plans as they countered with several long runs of their own to claim the set 25-16.
Point Loma took control of set two early, racing their way to a 9-3 lead. CCU clawed their way back into the set with a
Sierra Crist kill, several blocks and consecutive aces by Traynor. Down just two at 15-13, PLNU would once again rattle off a string of points to seize control and eventually take the set by an identical score to set one of 25-16.
CCU found more rhythm offensively in the third set, fighting to an 11-8 advantage led by kills from
Connelly Kilgore,
Jenna Bell and Crist. After
Suzanna Conner put her team ahead 15-14 with a kill, Point Loma grabbed the momentum with a three-point run. They continued with six straight points to gain a 23-16 lead. After Kilgore and Bell combined for a block, the Sea Lions claimed the final two points of the set for a 25-17 victory and the sweep.
Conner paced the attack with 7 kills, followed by Traynor with 6. Krista had a team high 2 aces and 10 assists, while
Kate Kopas picked up 9 digs and
Giselle Haugen had 3 blocks.
With pre-conference play at an end, the Cougars will begin their RMAC slate on the road on September 11 at 6 p.m. MST at Chadron State.
