Sports Reporter
Sunni Rae Baird had been spot on throughout the match at seeing when the ball was overshot and letting it hit out of bounds. In fact, it was one of the reasons that the No. 3 seeded Mavericks were able to keep the score close in the final two sets.
Colorado Christian, up 2-0, was on their heels in the quarterfinal round of the RMAC playoffs as the Mavs battled back from the brink of elimination twice, winning 28-26 in the third set and forcing extra time in the fourth.
With the score tied at 26, Cougar setter Jordan Kissman lobbed a serve over the net to Baird, the recently named RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, in the backcourt. Thinking that the service had too much power behind it, she ducked her head and expected the ball to sail out of bounds for the Maverick point, but the referee on the back line watched as the serve landed just inside the boundary and gave the visiting team match point.
The Cougars then finished the job on the very next volley by blocking a spike from Casey Ball to stymie the ferocious Maverick comeback and complete the upset in front of the home crowd at Brownson Arena in a 3-1 decision (25-19,25-21, 26-28, 28-26).
Head coach Dave Fleming explained after the game that his team’s determination showed the great character, but timid play during the match cost them the victory.
“I’m very proud of our team,” Fleming said. “That’s the team I expect to see out there in a situation like that. Unfortunately, we did not play our best match. Colorado Christian is a good team and it seemed like they were more comfortable and more aggressive than us.”
The Mavericks (21-8, 13-7 RMAC) were hoping to break their four-game losing streak to the Cougars (20-10, 14-6 RMAC) in their first home RMAC playoff game since the 2010 season. The two squads matched each other point for point in the beginning of the first set until Colorado Christian went on a 13-3 run that gave them a 10-point lead. The Mavs were able to cut the deficit to 5 late in the match with defensive help from Melissa Hess and Baird, and kills from Christen Otzen, but the Cougars came away with the first set, 25-19.
In the second set, CMU was able to find a better rhythm offensively. The two teams once again traded points to open up the set until the Mavs finally got on a roll midway through. They took control of the set with a 14-8 lead with great play from Hess, Ball, Audrey Steinkirchner and some miscues by the Cougars, but the lead did not last long as Colorado Christian answered with a 17-7 scoring run that put the Mavs down 2-0.
With their season on the line, CMU came out of the intermission with a do-or-die mentality.
Jordyn Moody was responsible for five straight Maverick points in the beginning of the third set as they jumped on Colorado Christian for a 6-1 advantage. The Cougars slowly chipped away at the lead throughout the set until matching the score at 17. From there, every point was hotly contested and neither team was willing to submit.
With the Cougars at match point, a service error by Kissman tied the set at 24 and forced a win-by-two scenario. Abby Ney came up clutch with a kill and set-winning block to force the match into four sets, with a 28-26 third set win.
The final set was easily the most competitive of the night, as neither team was able to separate themselves by more than four points throughout. After being unable to close out CMU in straight sets, the Cougars had yet another chance to seal the match in regulation, but another service error tied the game at 24 and forced extra time.
After a night of many unforced errors on both teams, it was the serve that landed in bounds behind Baird that proved to be the most costly.
Ney led all Mavericks with 16 kills, including nine in the final two sets. Baird finished with a team-high 21 digs and Moody totaled 45 assists.
“I’m very proud of us this season,” Ball said. “We are the first team with 21 wins since 2006, and with the injuries that we faced early on in the season we did a great job of facing adversity and staying consistent.”
The team will await the announcement from the NCAA selection committee to see whether they will continue on to the National Tournament.
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