SHREVEPORT, La. - For the second time this season in a battle of Top 5 heavyweights, the No. 3 ranked Southwestern Pirates and the No. 2 ranked Colorado College Tigers needed five sets to decide a victor, but for the second time it was the Tigers who emerged victorious, clinching the SCAC regular season title in the epic victory.
Colorado College hit .189 as a team while Southwestern was only able to hit .153, struggling in the fifth set as they hit -.029.
It was a slow start for the Pirates as the Tigers were able to take the first two sets 25-22, 25-21 for the 2-0 lead, looking to be in control of the match early on.
"As a staff we like seeing these athletes find a connected rhythm after playing some sub par volleyball for two sets," said head coach Don Flora. "It is imperative that we all learn how to handle ourselves point to point within a match."
The next two sets would be all Pirates, dominating the third set thanks in part to a strong defensive effort, holding Colorado College to .091 hitting while coming away with 15 kills in a 25-17 win to inch closer.
In the fourth set, down 19-18, Southwestern rallied to take the set 25-22 as the Pirates hit .263 in the set including 18 kills to force the fifth set.
However, Colorado College took control in the fifth set, hitting .214 while giving Southwestern multiple problems in their attack, closing the match at 15-10.
"If we make some better decisions late, we can make that a match that goes our way," said Flora.
Senior Kate Mitchell finished with 17 kills on .292 hitting and four block assists while sophomore Brittany Hohlt had 15 kills and three block assists. Junior Jamison Duck added 12 kills and 17 digs. Junior Megan Grimes had 44 assists and 20 digs while junior Brandi Campos had 24 digs.
In the match against Dallas, the Pirates hit .236 as a team while showing great defensive prowess, holding the Crusaders to -.021 hitting. Southwestern had no trouble in the match, cruising to a 25-12, 25-14, 25-13.
"Seeing this team take care of each other and continue to get our learning and our eyes on the task at hand is so important," said Flora. "We had contributions from numerous attackers and defenders today. To out dig Dallas and double them up in overall kills was good sign for us all to see."
Mitchell led the way again with eight kills while Hohlt had six and Duck added six and 13 digs to go with three service aces. Grimes had 31 assists while Campos picked up 22 digs in the contest.
The Pirates move to 23-4 and 9-3 in SCAC play and will return to the courts tomorrow for their final two conference games in regular season play and the No. 2 seed still in the balance for the SCAC Tournament. Southwestern will take on Centenary at 12 PM before finishing up with Austin College at 2 PM in Shreveport.
