West Palm Beach, Fla. – The No. 20-ranked Columbia College volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to Hastings (Neb.) (3-1) and Mayville State (N.D.) (3-1) at the Chick-fil-A Classic hosted by Keiser (Fla.).

Columbia (0-2) vs. Hastings (3-1)

Set 1: Columbia 17 l Hastings 25
Opening up the first set, the Cougars rallied to find their rhythm, eventually tying the match with a kill from Sude Gundogan, 10-10. The Broncos hit .300 offensively topping Columbia in their first go-round, 25-17.

Set 2: Columbia 23 l Hastings 25
The Cougars earned their first lead of the contest with a service ace from Raven Buckley, 4-3. Rallying for two-straight kills, Columbia found themselves neck-and-neck with Hastings throughout the remainder of the set. A kill from Gwendolyn Marino put the Cougars within two, but it was not enough to secure the second set, 25-23.

Set 3: Columbia 25 l Hastings 13
The Cougars produced an aggressive third set, hitting .536%, the highest of the match by either team. Securing the first 12 points of the set gave Columbia a large advantage with three service aces from Luisa Ferreira and three kills from Sude Gundogan, 12-0. They held their lead the rest of the set, only allowing the Broncos within nine points, 25-13.

Set 4: Columbia 23 l Hastings 25
A familiar back-and-forth battle arose between the Cougars and the Broncos which only allowed Columbia a one-point advantage along the way, 8-7. The Cougars produced a match-high of 19 kills in the final set with a .385 hitting percentage. Just two points shy, Hastings finished the match with a 25-23 victory.
 
 
Columbia (0-2) vs. Mayville State (3-1)

Set 1: Columbia 20 l Mayville State 25
The Comets quickly got out to a 4-1 advantage and took two-straight kills to start off the match. They would extend their lead, only letting the Cougars come within two the rest of the way home, 10-8. Mayville State went on a 4-0 run, followed by three consecutive points from Columbia, 23-19. It was not enough for the Cougars as they dropped the set, 25-20.
 
Set 2: Columbia 25 l Mayville State 15
What started out as a back-and-forth battle soon became all Columbia. After being tied 5-5, the Cougars put on a show with a 10-0 push, 14-5. Columbia took it the rest of the way, securing a 25-15 second set.
 
Set 3: Columbia 28 l Mayville State 30
Both teams produced a consistent pace garnering six ties to start the set, 6-6. The lead by either team never edged past three, making it a tight way to the finish. The Cougars hit a match-best .300%, producing 23 kills compared to the Comets 21 kills. Several more ties were in store the rest of the way resulting in a "win by two" finish. A kill from Mayville State and an attack error from the Cougars allowed a 30-28 victory of the Comets.
 
Set 4: Columbia 26 l Mayville 28
A 4-0 run gave the Comets the momentum to wrap up the final set, but not before a Cougar breakthrough to tie it up, 6-6. Columbia did not stop fighting, but eventually came short in the final set, 28-26.
 
Up Next: 
The Cougars continue play in the Chick-fil-A Classic on Saturday, August 20, with matches at 11:00 a.m. against No. 18 College of Saint Mary (Neb.) and 3:00 p.m. versus No.15 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).