GUNNISON, Colo. – SWOSU Volleyball fell in five sets to Western Colorado to open their season.
The back-and-forth affair had each team winning alternate sets, but the Mountaineers came out on top in the ever-important final frame.
After dropping the first set, the Dawgs climbed back from a seven-point deficit in the second set, trailing 19-12 before rallying for eight straight points to gain the momentum and even up the match. In the fourth set, the Bulldogs and WCU were trading blows, with neither team having a lead of more than two points after the Dawgs trailed 14-12, until SWOSU won the set 26-24.
The final frame was knotted at 10 apiece before the host team won five of the final seven points to close out the match.
SWOSU hit .241 compared to WCU's .278.
Jenna Houk led the Dawgs with 17 kills on 40 attacks while adding 18 digs.
Katja Blanchat had an efficient offensive night with 13 kills and just one error, while
Mackenzie Sims totaled 34 assists.
The Dawgs will now regroup to play a midday matchup with Sul Ross State tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. CT.
