Grand Island, Neb. – The eighth ranked Columbia College volleyball team was back in action today when they traveled to Grand Island, Nebraska, to compete in the 2017 Bill Marshall Volleyball Classic hosted by Hastings (Neb.) College. The Cougars got off to a great start in the 2017 season as they were able to win both of their matches including a 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-14) set victory over the College of Coastal Georgia and a 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-23, 26-24) set victory over Oklahoma City University to improve to 2-0 on the season.
In their first match against the Mariners, the Cougars came out swinging and were able to break out to an early 8-2 lead in the first set. They continued to play well down the stretch and were able to go on a 6-2 run to close out the game and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Mariners would not let Columbia break out to an early lead in the second set as they matched the Cougars point-for-point to start the game. However, with the score tied at 11, Columbia was finally able to break away from Coastal Georgia as they went on a 9-2 run to take a commanding 20-13 lead in the set. They were able to capture the final points of the game and took a 2-0 lead into the third set of the match.
Columbia College did not mess around in the third game as they jumped out to an early 12-5 lead and never looked back. They went on a 7-0 run midway through the game and were able to close out the Mariners down the stretch to complete the three game sweep.
The Cougars were led by Caroline Clifford who finished the match with eight kills and 13 digs. In addition, Peiyi Liu finished with eight kills, Gabriela Walton tallied 16 digs, and Yamilet Velazquez picked up 22 assists to round out the top performers for Columbia.
In their second match against the Stars, the Cougars struggled in the first set as the Stars were able to take a 1-0 set lead in the match after defeating the Cougars 25-21. However, Columbia College bounced back in the second set and were able to tie the match at one set apiece after defeating the Stars 25-19 following a 7-1 run to close out the game.
In the third set of the match, both sides exchanged points throughout most of the set but with the score tied at 23 the Cougars were able to notch the final points of the set and took a 2-1 lead in the match. They continued to play well into the final game and were able to edge out the Stars by a final score of 26-24 to win their second match of the day.
Columbia College was led by Peiyi Liu who finished with 18 kills. In addition to Liu, Zori Curry and Johanna Mueller each added 10 kills, Yamilet Velazquez picked up 47 assists and Gabriela Walton finished with 16 digs to lead the Cougars.
Columbia College is back in action tomorrow, August 26th when they continue play in the 2017 Bill Marshall Volleyball Classic. The Cougars will take on the host, and top ranked, Hastings (Neb.) College at 12 p.m. in Grand Island, Nebraska.
