GUNNISON, Colo.  Senior libero Elizabeth Rupprecht came up with a match-high 15 digs in Saturday's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball match against visiting Colorado Christian University, but it was the Cougars who came away with a 3-0 win over the Mountaineers.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Colo. Christian def. Western, 3-0 (25-18, 25022, 27-25)
Records: Western 2-7 (1-1 RMAC), Colo. Christian 7-4 (2-0)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Western inched closer each set, eventually pushing what would be the deciding third set into extra points.
• There were 11 ties in the third set and Western held late leads at 20-19, 21-20, 22-21, 23-22 and once more at 24-23.
• Tied at 25-25, CCU earned a point to break the tied then captured the set and match on a Western attack error.
• The teams traded points and seven ties through an 8-8 deadlock in the opening set, but the Cougars edged in front then built a seven-point cushion at 13-20.
• Savanna Meyer's kill trimmed one point off that deficit and initiated a five-point run that drew Western to within two at 20-18. Emily Mangone knocked down a pair of kills during that run, with Meyer picking up another and Jaeda Davis-Golliher adding that final point in the string.
• The Cougars, however, responded in kind, finishing off the game on a 5-0 run themselves to nab the first point in the match.
• Though they never led in the second set, the Mountaineers never let CCU get out of reach in the second set, then fended off a pair of set points before the Cougars could escape with a 25-22 win.

COURT NOTES

• The Cougars finished the match with a .267 attack percentage, a figure that could have been higher if not for the agile efforts of Rupprecht. Her digs total was her second highest of the season, with that greater number (18) coming during a five-set victory earlier in the season.
• Lexi Wilmoth, in addition to posting a team-best 23 set assists, also scooped up 8 digs to aid Rupprecht in keeping the Cougar attack from dominating the match.
• Mangone finished with a Western-best 10 kills in the match, getting help at the net from Davis-Golliher's 8 and also 7 each by Jordyn Todd and Caroline Parker.
• Mangone and Rupprecht were heavily targeted on serve receive, but the pair were nearly perfect over the course of the match. Mangone had 26 successful receptions with only one error while Rupprecht was a perfect 20 for 20.

UP NEXT
Western leaves its home court for a Tuesday RMAC match at Fort Lewis College before returning to Paul Wright Gym for a Saturday league match against Regis University.