Lady Coyotes Fall to No. 12 Arizona Western in ACCAC Road Series
YUMA, Ariz. — The College of Southern Nevada women's volleyball team faced one of the nation's top programs over the weekend, dropping a pair of ACCAC matches to No. 12 Arizona Western College on Friday night and Saturday afternoon in Yuma, Arizona.
The nationally ranked Matadors showcased their offensive firepower throughout the two-match series, sweeping Southern Nevada 25-12, 25-19, 25-13 on Friday before completing the weekend with a 25-18, 25-7, 25-12 victory Saturday.
The losses dropped the Lady Coyotes to 11-12 overall and 5-6 in ACCAC play as Southern Nevada prepares for the final stretch of its conference schedule.
Friday night's opener saw Arizona Western establish control early, hitting .522 in the opening set while recording 14 kills on 23 attempts. The Matadors took the first set 25-12 before Southern Nevada responded with its strongest offensive performance of the evening in the second.
The Lady Coyotes recorded 11 kills without committing an attack error on 41 attempts, hitting .268 in the second set. Despite the improved offensive efficiency, Arizona Western maintained its advantage, recording 15 kills and hitting .314 to claim a 25-19 victory.
The Matadors closed out the match with a 25-13 win in the third set, finishing the evening with 42 kills and a .378 hitting percentage compared with 22 kills and a .147 mark for Southern Nevada.
Tayla Singleton led the Lady Coyotes with eight kills on 38 attempts, while Mia Scott added six kills and hit .250. Paige Gates contributed two kills without an error on six swings, finishing with a .333 hitting percentage.
Defensively, Kody Wengler anchored Southern Nevada with a match-high 19 digs, while Libbie Ferreiro added 13 digs and seven assists.
Arizona Western's Maria Maeda delivered a dominant performance, recording a match-high 14 kills on 26 attempts while hitting .462. Maeda also collected five service aces and 13 digs, finishing with 19 points to lead the Matadors.
Southern Nevada returned to the court Saturday afternoon looking to rebound, but Arizona Western continued its efficient offensive play.
The Lady Coyotes opened the match with their strongest set of the afternoon, recording nine kills without an attack error on 39 attempts for a .231 hitting percentage. However, the Matadors countered with 15 kills and a .278 hitting percentage to claim the opening set 25-18.
Arizona Western took complete control in the second, producing 16 kills on just 23 attacks while committing only two errors for an impressive .609 hitting percentage. The Matadors rolled to a 25-7 victory before closing out the match with a 25-12 win in the third.
Singleton again led the Southern Nevada offense, recording seven kills on 17 attempts with just one error for a .353 hitting percentage. Scott added four kills, while Chasia Hoapili contributed three and LillyAnne Christensen finished with two.
Ferreiro directed the offense with 17 assists, while Wengler led the defensive effort with 16 digs. Madison Ortiz and Isabella Liugalua each added six digs as Southern Nevada finished with 37 digs in the contest.
Maeda once again led Arizona Western, finishing with 12 kills on 19 attempts while hitting .579. Maria Eduarda Marques added seven kills on 10 swings, while Khanzas Tuisamatatele contributed six.
The Matadors finished Saturday's match with 40 kills and a .403 hitting percentage, limiting Southern Nevada to 19 kills and a .044 hitting percentage. Arizona Western also held the Lady Coyotes without a service ace after surrendering just one in Friday's opener.
Despite the difficult road trip, Southern Nevada received consistent offensive contributions from Singleton, who finished the weekend with a team-high 15 kills, while Wengler collected 35 digs across the two matches.
The Lady Coyotes now turn their attention to another ACCAC road matchup as they look to return to the win column.
Southern Nevada travels to Prescott, Arizona, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, to face Yavapai College in ACCAC action. The Lady Coyotes will look to build on their earlier success against the Roughriders, having swept their two-match home series against Yavapai earlier this month.
