COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball took the court Saturday afternoon, as they clashed with the Colorado Christian University Cougars. After falling behind two sets to none, the Mountain Lions battled to force a fifth set, but ultimately fell to the visiting Cougars.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score vs. Colorado Christian: 2-3 (18-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-17, 7-15)
- Records: UCCS (5-10, 3-2 RMAC) | CCU (7-9, 3-3 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center| Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions still lead the all-time series against the Cougars, 35-24
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Mountain Lions got the scoring going, as Maylen Mitrovich set up Julia Geiger for a kill. A CCU block gave the visitors an early lead, one they wouldn't surrender for the remainder of the set. Despite four kills in the set from Sydnee Walker, UCCS hit just .077, as they dropped the initial frame 18-25.
- UCCS again fell behind early in the set, as CCU began the second set on a 6-2 run. Back-to-back kills from Nicole Medlin and Isabel Hudspeth brought the Mountain Lions to withing one, but drew no closer for the remainder of the frame. The Cougars hit .406 with 17 kills and two aces, taking a two set lead.
- With their backs against the wall, the Mountain Lions put together a complete set, never trailing after the first point. A Lauryn Shockley kill followed by a CCU attack error prompted a timeout from the visitors, as the score stood at 16-9. A Shockley ace sandwiched between two Geiger kills gave UCCS an 11 point lead, their largest of the match. The Mountain Lions would close out the set a few points later, winning 25-16 to force a fourth set.
- The momentum carried over for the Mountain Lions, as the home team raced out to another early lead. Three straight aces from Mitrovich grew the lead to five, forcing a CCU timeout. While the Cougars got to within three, costly errors on both attacks and serves halted all runs for the visitors. An ace by Hudspeth energized the crowd late in the set, as UCCS took the fourth frame 25-17.
- With the Gallogly Events Center rocking, the teams took the court for the fifth set. The Cougars saved their best volleyball for the end, as they raced out to a 6-1 lead that proved too much for the Mountain Lions. CCU hit a match-high .438 in the set, going 6-for-8 on sideout opportunities. A block from Izzy Jones and Renee Phillips put a bow on the match, as the Cougars won 15-7, taking the match in five sets.
MATCH STATISTICS
- Walker and Shockley led the team with 12 kills a piece, as the duo combined for two solo blocks and eleven digs. Geiger and Hudspeth were second on the team with seven kills each.
- Mitrovich assisted on a team-high 19 points, digging up 11 attacks and recorded two skip-set kills.
- The Mountain Lions had four players with multiple aces, as Mitrovich registered a match-high three aces, with Mackenzie Ransom, Shockley, and Hudspeth adding two aces each.
- Medlin, Walker, and Geiger each had two block assists, as the Mountain Lions recorded eight block assists as a team.
- The Cougars were led by Libby Goodman, who put down a match-high 18 kills to go with two blocks assists and four digs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Ransom's 18 digs were the most in a five set match on the season.
- Shockley jumped to sixth all time in career kills with 1,030. She also now moves up to fifth all-time in total attempts (2,903) and ninth in points (1,195).
- Shockley now sits at sixth in all-time matches played (116) and ninth in all-time sets played (422).
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will travel to Grand Junction to take on the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks. First serve will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 13th.
SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
