Colorado Christian University (CCU) was a piece of pre-Thanksgiving pie for the Colorado Mesa University volleyball team for the start of the RMAC tournament. A three-set sweep of the Cougars has the Mavericks moving on to the next round.
Senior libero Taylor Woods set a career milestone of 2,000 digs while at CMU. On Saturday, Woods needed ten to surpass the mark and ended the night with 13.
Like the Mavericks had performed all season, consistency was shown in most aspects of the game against the Cougars. CMU would take the first set with little trouble 25-18. In the second set, Woods would pass the 2,000 set milestone.
The Cougars would jump out to w 4-1 lead early in the third set before the Mavericks would go on an 8-0 run highlighted by three aces of Woods. The rest of the set would stay rather tight but the big run by CMU would allow them to complete the sweep.
MacKenzie Edwards racked up a match-high ten kills. RMAC Player of the Year, Kasie Gilfert, was right behind Edwards with eight for the day while Camille Smith was third with seven.
Samantha Ritter and Ara Norwood took the limelight in assists as both of the setters combined for 31 assists while Woods got three of her own.
CMU was ready to show their strength on the court early in the tournament. With CCU knocked out, the next step is the final four on Friday, Nov. 9. The upcoming semifinal will be against Dixie State, the number two seed and a constant thorn in the Maverick’s side. The last two encounters with the Dixie came down to four-set matches, with CMU taking the loss both times. This time the Mavericks will have to shore up their defense and fire up the offense because a loss is a knockout now.
