Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4
By James Hernandez 

The Lady Coyotes ushered in the 2016 season by hosting the 2^nd annual Lady Coyotes Volleyball Classic. Eight teams from around the country gathered at Legacy High School in North Las Vegas, Nevada to test their skills against one another in this ultra competitive two day tournament.

CSN opened up with an afternoon matchup versus Laramie County Community College. The Golden Eagles were efficient offensively as they consistently seized scoring opportunities, defeating the Coyotes in straight sets (25-17) (25-15) and (25-15). Usual suspects Christina Beaver (19 assists, 12 digs, 2 aces) and Bailey Bergquist (7 kills) were right in the thick of the action, however the length and overall athleticism of LCCC was ultimately too much for CSN to overcome.

The second match of the tournament for CSN must have looked like a mirror image of the 2015 season for head coach Sue Thurman and her staff as her Coyotes faced off against a Saddleback College Gaucho team made up entirely of freshmen. The Coyotes outshined the Gauchos with the serve in the first set as Hannah Karas and Sam Remer combined for nine aces en route to a convincing (25-15) opening set victory.

The young Gaucho's showed tremendous resilience as they clawed their way back into the match by taking the second set (27-25) and tying the match at a set apiece. Johanna Alvarez-Thompson would help CSN restore order in the third set of the match. Alvarez-Thompson stepped her game up in a big when her team needed her most, tallying 6 of the teams 13 kills as the Coyotes outlasted the Gauchos (27-25) in a nip and tuck set. 22 kills, 9 digs and 5 aces were the result of a complete team effort that aided CSN's cause and allowed them to put its first match in the win column. The Lady Coyotes won its first match of the season 3 sets to 1 (25-15) (25-27) (27-25) and (25-17).

Day two of the Lady Coyote's Volleyball Classic got off to an early 9:00 a.m. start as CSN and Sheridan College took the court to open play on Saturday.

The Coyotes put an extra emphasis on protecting the net all match long after getting a rude wake up call, dropping the opening set of the match 25-20.

The Olivia's (Stet and Larson) combined for twelve blocks and freshman Tajahae (Tata) Davis chipped in with 4 as the Lady Coyote's took control of the match by winning three consecutive sets (25-23) (25-20) (25-16)  on the way to the teams second match victory of the season. Beaver paced the team in assists (27) and digs (10) and Alvarez-Thompson leading the way with a match high ten kills.

The final matchup of the tournament for CSN presented an Arizona Western team that was full of height and athleticism. The Matadors dominated the net with fifteen kills in the opening set on the way to a very convincing (25-17) opening set victory. The Coyotes would rally to tie the match up at a set each after a collective effort from the entire team that included clutch serving from both Sam Remer and Hannah Karas, as well as clutch play around the net from Christina Beaver, Olivia Stet and Bailey Bergquist leading to a (25-20) second set win.

Both teams left it all on the court in sets three and four, however the Matadors outpointed the Coyotes (25-22) and (25-21) to secure the match victory three sets to one.

CSN will hit the road Labor Day weekend to participate in the Yavapai Volleyball Classic on Friday September 2^nd and Saturday September 3^rd in Prescott, Arizona. The Lady Coyotes will open up against the host Yavapai College Friday followed by a match with Eastern Arizona to close out day one followed by matches with Utah State University-Eastern and South Mountain Community College on Saturday.

For more scheduling information and match statistics please log onto www.csncoyotes.com or follow us on Twitter @CSNCoyotes | Facebook @CSNCoyotes.