Box Score Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College women's volleyball team dropped a non-conference match against Colorado Mesa on Tuesday evening in the Behnken Field House.  Westminster (7-10) gave the NCAA DII foe a battle but, Colorado Mesa (6-11) picked up the win.

Colorado Mesa won by scores of: 25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 27-25.

Ashley Marchant posted a team-high 15 kills for the Griffins.  The junior had a .357 hitting efficiency while also adding 14 digs and two service aces.  Alexis Aalona added nine kills and three blocks while setter Emily Atkinson posted 41 assists, 15 digs, four kills, four blocks and three service aces.  Kyndall Kordakis had 26 digs.

Both teams recorded 50 kills on the night with Westminster hitting .179 to the .139 by the Mavericks.  Westminster recorded 77 digs, seven service aces and nine blocks.

It was a slow start for both teams as the match started with six hitting errors before Rebecca Sellers of Mesa recorded the fist kill of the match to tie the opening set at 4-4.  The visitors would go on a 6-2 run to open up a 12-8 advantage and would never trail again.  Westminster would even the set for the sixth time at 23-23 when Stephanie Jones Morin recorded her first kill.  Mesa would respond with a kill by Rachael Beaty and a block by Kelly Regimbal and Antoinette McCormick to take set one.

The second set would see nine ties and four lead changes. With the score knotted at 14-14, Westminster scored the next three points and seven of the next nine to build a 21-16 lead.  After CMU got within 22-19, Westminster got kills from Aalona, Kenzie Mitchell and Atkinson over the final four points to claim the set.

The third set was going just like the first two with neither team holding more than a three-point advantage.  Then with the score 13-10, CMU scored the next six points of the match to open a 19-10 cushion.  They picked up two service aces from Meagan Rush and forced the griffins into two hitting errors during the run.  Westminster wouldn't be able to get closer than 24-20 and dropped the third set 25-20.

Marchant came alive for the Griffins in the fourth set.  She posted seven kills in the stanza and hit .500 on 10 swings.  The Griffins would trail early in the frame 5-1 and later at 11-6.  They would eventually even the score at 14-14 and take a lead of 15-14.  Marchant would pick up three kills in helping WC build a 21-19 lead.  The Griffins would serve for the set at 25-24 but, CMU scored the final three points to win the match.

Westminster will look to bounce back when they face No. 7 College of Idaho on Wednesday in the Behnken Field House.  The rematch of Saturday's game in Idaho begins at 7 p.m.