COLORADO SPRINGS – The Angelo State volleyball team lost for the first time in 2018 on Wednesday, falling 3-2 to Colorado Christian.
The Belles (5-1) hit just .170 against the Cougars, marking their lowest hitting percentage in a match so far this season, and only outdid CCU in the category of service aces.
"CCU did a great job of exposing some weaknesses of ours and we certainly didn't help ourselves from the service line," Angelo State head volleyball coach Chuck Waddington said. "I would have liked to see a better response to their pressure, but this is an opportunity for our team to learn and get better."
Set one started off well enough, with ASU getting an early two-point lead after a kill from Bailey Drum and a block from Baleigh Allen and Anna Graham.
Not long after, the Cougars found their groove and went on a 4-1 run, pulling in front for the first time in the set. The Belles kept it close for some time, but with the score tied at 14, CCU went on a six-point run that eventually propelled them to the set one victory.
Angelo State responded in the second set, however, scoring the first five points with Meghan Parker at the service line. Back-to-back Cougar attack errors and a kill from Graham eventually put the Belles up by eight.
Continuing to pour it on, ASU got another block from Allen and Audrey Fragniere and a service ace from Sophia Berg to push the lead to ten points.
Allen hit the double-digit kill mark for the second straight match with 10 against the Cougars and added in strong defense at the net with a season-high eight blocks.
CCU was unable to claw back from the 10-point deficit, and the Belles took the second set 25-16.
ASU was not as dominant in set three with the two teams trading points early on and CCU holding 12-10 lead almost halfway through the set.
At that point, Sundara Chinn sparked an ASU rally with a kill on an assist from Meghan Parker. The Belles went onto score five more unanswered points, including another two kills from Chinn and a pair of aces from freshman Makenna Hanssen.
Chinn once again led the ASU attackers with a team-high 13 kills and a .344 hitting percentage. The only other Angelo State player to hit above .300 in the game was Chloe Robinson, who finished with five kills, which is the most during her young ASU career.
CCU pulled back within two points at 20-18, but kills from Allen and Robinson got the Belles back up by four before a service error ended the set and put the Belles up 2-1.
The Cougars would even things up in the fourth set, taking an early 9-5 lead and never looking back. CCU added to the lead slowly and closed out the match strong with four of the set's last six points and a 25-19 win.
The momentum carried into the fifth and decisive set for Colorado Christian as they stormed out to a 5-1 lead.
ASU fought back, however, with a pair of service aces by Morgan Preston and a kill from Chinn. Graham then tied the match up at eight-all with a pair of kills and a service ace before a kill from Fragniere put ASU on top, 9-8.
Angelo State held onto the lead at 11-10 still, but then the Cougars responded with a 5-1 run to close out the match with a win.
The Belles will have a day off Thursday, but remain in Colorado and begin the Colorado Premiere Tournament on Friday with games against Missouri Western (3:30 p.m. CST) and Regis (7 p.m. CST).
