SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Third-seeded Southwestern University survived a furious comeback attempt from second-seeded Colorado College as the Pirates won a thrilling SCAC semifinal match, 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at Calgaard Gymnasium. Official Championships Website | Photo Album | Southwestern Post-Match Interview | Colorado College Post-Match Interview
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Southwestern crusied to a 25-10 opening set win while holing Colorado College, the nation's seventh-ranked team, to a minus .138 hitting percentage. The Pirates ran out to an overwhelming 16-4 lead highlighted by a kill from Jessica Kuras.
- In the second set, the Pirates and Tigers traded the set's first 16 points as the set was tied at 8-8 early on. Colorado College went up 16-14 after a kill from Keeley Kandziora. Southwestern responded with a quick 6-3 run that gave the Pirates a 20-19 lead before they went up 2-0 with a 25-21 second set victory.
- Colorado College forced a fourth set with a defensive performance that saw the Tigers limit Southwestern to just a .150 hitting percentage in a 25-19 win.
- The Tigers forced a deciding fifth set when the defense clamped down even tighter as Colorado College limited No. 16 team in the nation to a .000 hitting percentage in another 25-19 win.
- The deciding fifth set was a back and forth affair as the two teams were tied 4-4 early in the set. A few plays later the Pirates took a 9-7 lead after a service ace from Katelyn Whitehead. A few plays later Colorado College tied the match at 11-11 before Southwestern recorded the final four points of the set to win 15-11 and the match, 3-2.
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Lauren Crabtree: 14 kills, 1 block solo, 3 block assists
- Emma White: 13 kills, 14 digs,
- Jessica Kuras: 10 kills, 1 assist, 1 block assist
- Ali Grona: 27 digs, 9 assists
- Katelyn Whitehead: 22 assists, 16 digs
- Claire Romo: 20 assists, 19 digs
COLORADO COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Isabella Vasquez: 16 kills, 18 digs
- Isabella Lipacis: 13 kills, 21 digs
- Georgia Mullins: 10 kills, 14 digs
- Jenny Jenks: 40 assists, 18 digs
- Peyton Hummel: 17 digs
NOTABLES
- Southwestern advances to the SCAC championship match for the first time since 2018 and the 11th time overall.
- The Pirates have advanced to the SCAC championship match for the sixth time since 2013 and are looking for the program's first SCAC title since 2015.
- Southwestern improves to 1-2 on the season against Colorado College. The Tigers swept both regular season matches against the Pirates earlier this season.
- This was the first SCAC tournament meeting between the two national powers since Colorado College defeated Southwestern, 3-1 in 2019.
UP NEXT
With the win, 16th-ranked Southwestern improves to 24-4 and will square off against top-seeded and host Trinity (30-2) in tomorrow afternoon's SCAC championship match. First serve is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT. Colorado College falls to 28-5 and will meet Texas Lutheran in tomorrow morning's third/fourth place match beginning at 10 a.m. CT. The Tigers, who are currently ranked third in the most recent NCAA Division III Region X rankings, will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship.
