SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The 9th-ranked CSI Volleyball team got off to a hot start but ultimately fell short in their quest for a conference championship, falling to 3rd-ranked Salt Lake 25-19, 23-25, 25-27, 23-25 on Thursday afternoon.
After splitting a pair of regular season matches, the rubber match between the top two teams in the Scenic West was tightly contested with the conference crown on the line. The Golden Eagles got off to a roaring start, rolling to a 25-19 victory in the opening set. The next three sets were all extremely evenly matched, as neither team was able to pull ahead to far, each set resulting in a two point win for Salt Lake.
The Golden Eagles hit .229 on offense, and spread the wealth as three different players had 13 or more kills, led by
Vivian Goto with 14.
Emma Pannell and
Laura Grasel each contributed 13 kills, and Pannell added in 13 digs.
Emerson Heatwole had a game high 22 digs, while
Dalayni Brindley dished out 34 assists in the loss.
Heatwole, Goto and Grasel were each named to the Region 18 All Tournament Team as Goto finished the tournament with 27 kills, Grasel finished with 20 kills, and Heatwole finished with 34 digs.
The Golden Eagles postseason is not over yet, they will now have a quick turnaround and travel to Yuma, Arizona to take on 12th-ranked Arizona Western in a district playoff on Monday, November 9th. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas on November 18th-November 21st.
