Aggies up and down in First Serve Invitational

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     LAWTON, Okla. (Aug. 30) - Phase one of Cameron's grueling non-conference schedule took its toll on the Aggie volleyball team this weekend. After a season-opening victory over Angelo State on Thursday, Coach Kim Vinson's squad dropped two of three matches in the annual First Serve Invitational, presented by Comanche County Memorial Hospital and Red Lion Hotel.
     Cameron (2-2) lost in straight sets to Fort Hays State before capping off Friday's action with a 3-0 victory over Colorado State-Pueblo. But the Aggies lost another three-setter on Saturday, this time to 21st-ranked Central Missouri State.
     Fort Hays State limited the Aggies to just an .076 hitting percentage while handing Cameron the loss by scores of 30-28, 30-20, 30-21. Senior outside hitter Kelsey Kosick recorded 15 kills for the Aggies, but no other Cameron player produced more than six kills. FHSU benefitted from a .545 hitting performance from Amber Zoglman, who paced the Tigers with 13 kills. Andrea Logan added 12 kills and 12 digs.
     Against CSU-Pueblo, the Aggies improved to register a 30-26, 30-25, 30-27 win. Kosick and junior Morgan Meyer each tallied 12 kills, with freshman setter Vicki Ibarra dishing out 36 assists. Newcomers Nicole Reinhart and Taran Turner each added eight kills in the win, while junior libero Jenny Head led all players in the match with 20 digs.
     Saturday's action proved to be similar to Friday's early contest. Central Missouri State pounded the Aggies with a .328 hitting percentage, including a 15-kill, .619 percentage effort from Elyse Mohme, to win 30-16, 30-16, 30-24. Kosick produced 18 kills and a .351 hitting percentage, but it wasn't enough to overcome a balanced and efficient attack by the Jennies, who improved to 3-1 after a loss to Fort Hays State earlier in the day.
     Phase two of the Aggie non-conference schedule doesn't get any easier. Cameron travels to Denver on Friday to compete in the annual Colorado Premier Challenge, hosted by Metro State and Regis University. The Aggies will face 10th-ranked North Dakota State and 15th-ranked Metro State on Friday, with Saturday's bracketed competition to be determined by Friday's results in the 12-team tournament that annually attracts many of NCAA Division II's top volleyball squads.