Box Score Senior Abbe Holtze and junior Reagan Folaron combined for 17 kills to lead No. 9 Colorado College in a 3-0 victory over Susquehanna University in the Colorado College Classic on Sunday at Reid Arena.
 
Holtze, who was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player, slammed down eight kills and picked up 11 digs to lead the team in the back row, while Folaron recorded a team-high nine kills and a pair of service aces.
 
The Tigers improved to 4-0 on the weekend and did not drop a set after beating the River Hawks, 25-16, 25-21, 25-19.
 
"We had a great team effort and a well balanced attack," said head coach Rick Swan. "We were a little rusty at times, but as the weekend progressed we made adjustments and the play improved."
 
Susquehanna tied the first set at 8-8 with a kill by senior middle hitter Leanna Carvin, but Folaron answered with a kill of her own to ignite an 11-2 run, which handed CC a 19-10 lead after sophomore middle hitter Myca Steffey-Bean and senior right-side hitter Keli Sherwood combined for a block.
 
Freshman setter Lizzy Counts, an all-tournament team selection, led the team with 19 assists and added six digs and two aces, while senior setter Rebecca Watson added 14 assists and four digs.
 
Susquehanna held an 18-17 lead late in the second set, but CC took a time out and struck back with a kill by Holtze to spark an 8-3 run to close out the set.
 
The Tigers carried their momentum into the final set building a 19-9 lead, which allowed freshmen Jillian Gibbs, Jordan Mullen and Caitlin Laurence to see action on the court for the first time in their career.    
 
"We had a lot of contributions from a number of players," said Swan, "including some freshmen that saw action for the first time in their collegiate career."
 
Freshman libero Anna Gurolnick anchored the Colorado College back row with nine digs and a pair of services aces. Freshman middle hitter Marguerite Spaethling, who played in the first three matches of the season, rounded out the all-tournament selections for the Tigers.   
 
"It was a good start to the season and we had a lot of young players get great experience," said Swan.
 
Susquehanna (2-1) was led by outside hitter Morgan Lowe with six kills, while senior libero Alyssa Chiodo contributed with 13 digs. Senior setter Maggie O'Hearn dished out 18 assists and five kills to aid the River Hawks' offense. 
 
CC returns to action next week when it hosts the Colorado College Invitational on Sept. 9-10 at Reid Arena. The Tigers open the tournament against Occidental College at 2 p.m. Friday.