Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
By James Hernandez

Fresh off a home upset over the sixth ranked Snow College Badgers, the Lady Coyotes hit the road this past weekend to battle a pair of ranked opponents, SLCC and CSI for the second time this season. CSN was defeated in straight sets the last time they played the Bruins and Golden Eagles, however coach Thurman and her Coyotes have drastically improved its play since the teams last met nearly one month ago.

The first leg of the road trip took CSN to Taylorsville, Utah for a matchup with the second place Bruins(SWAC).

Set one was a back and forth affair, with both teams seizing momentum from one another throughout the match, until the Bruins finally pulled away from the Lady Coyotes to claim the set (21-25). Salt Lake wasted little establishing its supremacy around the net as well as in the service game during the second set, leading by as many as 12 points en route to a dominant (13-25) set win to put them ahead 2-0 in the match.

The Lady Coyotes would regroup in between sets two and three, putting forth a fantastic effort that kept them point for point with the Bruins until a late surge by Salt Lake carried them to a (21-25) win in the third set. SLCC defeated CSN in straight sets for the second time this season, dropping the Lady Coyotes to 9-13 overall and 2-4 in SWAC play. Match standouts for the Coyotes included Olivia Stet and JoHanna Alvarez-Thompson ,with 8 kills apiece along with Christina Beaver and her team high 24 assists.

Saturday afternoon provided a measuring stick match of sorts for the Lady Coyotes as they went into Twin Falls, Idaho to take on the reigning SWAC and NJCAA national champion, the College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles.

Once again the superior athleticism of the defending champs was on display from the beginning, protecting the net and creating pressure on the opposition with 6 aces and 17 kills on the way to a convincing (16-25) opening set win. Set two was a defensive clinic for the Golden Eagles, turning away the Coyotes with an assortment of clutch digs and stellar play at the net. This would result in a (18-25) second set victory that saw CSI poised for a second consecutive straight set victory over its rivals from Southern Nevada.

Despite trailing in the match two sets to none, the Lady Coyotes showed the fight and resolve of a champion, outworking CSI in every aspect of play to seize the third set (25-19) and cut the Golden Eagles lead to 2-1. An exhausted, confident group of Coyotes left it all on the court in the fourth set of the match; however the veteran leadership of the defending champs was enough to will CSI to the winners circle in a tightly contested (22-25) fourth set win. CSI's 3 sets to 1 match victory dropped CSN to 9-14 overall and 2-5 in SWAC play.

Tajahae (Tata) Davis and JoHanna Alvarez-Thompson tied for the team lead in kills , with 12 and sophomore Sam Remer played a great all-around match with 16 digs and 2 aces. Christina Beaver was her usual outstanding self, leading both teams with a match high 39 assists.

Our Lady Coyotes return home to the den for a Thursday night match versus the Colorado Northwestern Community College Spartans followed by a Saturday afternoon clash with the USU-Eastern Eagles.

For match times and upcoming opponents please log onto www.csncoyotes.com or follow us on Twitter @CSNCoyotes | Facebook CSNCoyotes.