Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

By James Hernandez

The Lady Coyotes looked to turn the page on the regular season and shift its focus on Twin Falls, Idaho and the 2016 Region XVIII tournament. CSN (2-8 SWAC, 10-18 overall) entered the tournament as the number five seed and drew 4^th seeded USU-Eastern (4-6 SWAC, 10-17 overall) in the opening round. The Coyotes and Eagles had three meetings in the regular season with the Eagles taking all three matches despite some very competitive efforts from CSN each time out.

USU-E took the opening set of the match (18-25) by establishing themselves around the net and playing great defense. The Lady Coyotes responded with arguably its best set of the tournament, out working the Eagles at every turn on the way to a (25-13) score to even the match at a set apiece. The third set of the match was the most competitive as Eastern outlasted CSN (23-25) in a set that was up for grabs the entire way. Coach Sue Thurman got her Coyotes to regroup in a hurry and rally to take the fourth set (25-12), forcing a winner take all fifth set. CSN dug deep to pull out a (15-10) fifth set, eliminating the Eagles from the Region 18 tournament and advancing to meet the top seeded CSI Golden Eagles. JoHanna Alvarez-Thompson (30), Olivia Stet (13) and Tajahae "Tata" Davis (11) combined for 54 of the Coyotes 64 kills. Christina Beaver led the entire match in assists with 53 and defensive ace Hannah Karas led all players with 19 digs.

The turnaround was a quick one for CSN as they had just a few hours to rest up before trying to upset "Goliath" on its home floor. The Golden Eagles (9-1 SWAC, 28-5 overall) came into the match nationally ranked and winners of eight straight matches on its home court. The Golden Eagles got out of the gate quickly with a (18-25) opening set victory over a Coyote team that had to be a bit fatigued after outlasting USU-Eastern in a five set thriller. CSI showed superior athleticism in the second set, taking it by a score of (15-25), putting the Coyotes on the brink of elimination. CSN competed favorably in the third set, but in the end the Golden Eagles were able to outlast them (20-25) and take the match in straight sets. Despite the loss, CSN Volleyball enjoyed a successful second season that included a win over a nationally ranked Snow College Badgers team as well as the programs first ever SWAC and Region 18 victories.

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