Aggies open with losses at Colorado Premier
DENVER, Colo. (Sept. 3) - The Cameron Volleyball team rallied with a strong effort against 16th-ranked Augustana College, but still came away searching for their first win of the season in opening-day action at the Colorado Premier Challenge on the campus of Regis University.
Coach Kim Vinson's squad fell in straight sets to No. 2 California-San Diego, and squandered chances in a 3-1 loss to Augustana, dropping to 0-6 on the season.
California-San Diego showed its preseason national ranking was no fluke in Friday's opening contest. The Tritons, who rolled to a 4-0 record last weekend while defeating two teams ranked in the Division II Top 10, limited Cameron to a paltry .048 hitting percentage. UCSD also posted 62 team digs to Cameron's 43 and out-blocked the Aggies 7-5.
Senior outside hitter Morgan Meyer led the Aggies with 12 kills in the match as Cameron played the Tritons tough in the opening set before losing 30-22. But UCSD quickly wore down Cameron, cruising with 30-15 and 30-18 victories in the ensuing games to get the win.
A spirited Cameron squad took the court against Augustana and had several opportunites to take command of the match. The Aggies dropped the first set 33-31, but rallied to even the match score with a 35-33 Game 2 win. Cameron led late in the third set, as well, but came up on the short end of the 32-30 score. In the fourth frame, Augustana raced to an 8-2 advantage and never looked back, winning 30-20 to take the match.
On Saturday, Cameron will look to end its longest losing streak since opening the 1994 season with eight consecutive setbacks. The Aggies will play two matches in the Bronze Division of bracket play, beginning at noon (Mountain Time) on the campus of the Metropolitan State College of Denver. The Aggies will likely face Regis University in the opening round of Bronze Division action, with the next opponent to be determined. Cameron rallied from two losses in the opening round of the Premier Challenge to claim the Bronze Division title for the second time in three years last season.
