Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The 20th-ranked UC Santa Cruz volleyball team split their first two matches at the Pikes Peak Challenge. In the matinee they swept Cornell College of Iowa 25-14, 25-17, 26-24. In the nightcap, they fell to hosts and seventh-ranked Colorado College in a 3-2 heartbreaker (23-25, 25-18, 19-25, 26-24, 10-15)
The Banana Slugs are now 15-2 on the season.
In the opening match, the Banana Slugs hit .400 and .229 respectively in winning the first two sets. With Set Two tied at 17, UC Santa Cruz closed with an 8-0 run courtesy of a pair of kills by
Claire Okerlund and five aces from
Sinead Beaupain. The third set had 11 ties, including when the Rams had a 5-0 run to tie it 23-all. The Rams got to set point but UCSC answered with a
Peyton Tazelaar kill to tie it 24-all. Cornell got another set point but after an error, the Banana Slugs closed out the set and match with a block from Beaupain and
Audrey Gilbert, and
Isabella Hoglund's ace.
UC Santa Cruz had an 11-4 advantage in aces, with Beaupain serving a team-high six to go with her 14 assists and 10 digs. Okerlund had eight kills while Hoglund and
Sydney Ahrendt each had five. Overall, UCSC hit .239 in the match and held Cornell to .118.
Against the host Tigers, UC Santa Cruz fought back in the opening set from being down six at 17-11 by to get within 23-21, but a controversial call at the net gave the Tigers set point. The Banana Slugs fought back with two points but a Colorado kill ended the set.
Set Two saw the Banana Slugs hit .233 while holding the hosts to -.023 to tie the match at 1-1. The Tigers returned the favor in the third and held UCSC to -.053 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set Four featured 16 ties, but Colorado scraped to get a 24-22 lead. UC Santa Cruz responded and fought back from two match points.
Samantha Taylor's kill ended a minute-long rally and then Gilbert's block tied it at 24. UC Santa Cruz won the next two points courtesy of an Okerlund kill and a Tiger error to win the set 26-24 and force a fifth set.
Set Five had five ties to start before the hosts got a 7-5 lead and force a UC Santa Cruz timeout. The Banana Slugs couldn't regain their footing however, and the Tigers had a block to end the wild match.
Taylor had a season-high 17 kills to lead the Banana Slugs. Okerlund had a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Beaupain had season-highs of 29 assists and 17 digs.
Giovanna Martins had 19 digs.
Georgia Mullins led Colorado College (19-3) with 21 kills. Overall, the Banana Slugs had an 82-70 advantage in digs and a 7-5 edge in service aces.
UC Santa Cruz plays two more tomorrow in the Centennial State, starting at 9am Pacific against Nebraska Wesleyan.
