Trivino helps Lady Matadors to 3-2 win over Coyotes
YUMA, Ariz. – The Arizona Western Lady Matadors (5-9, 3-2) battled back from a 2-1 deficit to win their third consecutive match, beating Chandler-Gilbert (8-4, 6-2) 3-2 on Friday night at the House Gymnasium.
The Lady Matadors took an early lead in the first set and eventually used an 8-0 run to take a 13-6 lead. Natalia Slazynska stopped a 2-0 Coyotes run with a kill to push the lead to 14-8. The largest lead of the set was the final score as the Lady Matadors took the opener 25-14.
Chandler-Gilbert opened the second set by scoring five of the first seven points. The Coyotes opened up a 13-7 lead before Amanda Juliao used a pair of kills to spark a 3-0 run, cutting the Coyotes' advantage to 13-10. After the Lady Matadors fell behind by six for the second time in the set, 18-12, AWC put together a run and crawled to within two points on a Daniela Jimenez block, cutting the Coyotes' lead to 21-19. Chandler-Gilbert was able to fend off the Lady Matadors, winning the second set 25-19.
The Coyotes continued their momentum into the early stages of the third set, opening up a 9-4 lead, forcing an Arizona Western timeout. The Lady Matadors went on a quick 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 11-9 before eventually falling in the third set 25-17.
Arizona Western scored the first point of the fourth set and then jumped out to a 9-6 lead. After going back and forth, the Lady Matadors were able to extend their lead to 20-16 forcing a Coyotes' timeout. Patrycja Rykala recorded a pair of kills to put the Lady Matadors up 22-17 as the Matadors were able to force a fifth set, taking the fourth set 25-21.
After falling behind in the fifth set, the Lady Matadors went on a 3-0 run to take a 3-1 lead. Juliao pushed the lead to 8-4 with a kill, forcing Chandler-Gilbert to take a timeout. The Coyotes battled back to tie the set at 11-11 before a Jimenez kill gave the Lady Matadors the lead back at 12-11. Arizona Western ended the set on a 4-0 run to win the match 3-2.
Evelyn Trivino finished the night with a career-high 10 kills while Juliao led the team in that category with 15. Juliao finished with a double-double, also leading the team with 12 digs. As a team, the Lady Matadors hit .229 for the match.
The Lady Matadors continue the home stretch on Friday, October 7 when they host Yavapai for an ACCAC showdown at 7:00 pm at the House Gymnasium. Tickets are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for seniors while Arizona Western College students get in free with their AWC ID.