Volleyball splits a pair of matches on first day of Chapman Automotive Invite

YUMA, Ariz. – Arizona Western Lady Matadors Volleyball (6-1) split a pair of matches on the first day of the Chapman Automotive AWC Volleyball Invitational, beating Southern Nevada (0-2)3-1 before falling to Eastern Florida (5-0) 3-2 on Saturday at the House Gymnasium.

The Lady Matadors opened the Chapman Automotive AWC Volleyball Invitational with a 3-1 win over Southern Nevada. Amanda Juliao led the Lady Matadors with 11 kills while Jazmin Cuellar tied a season-high with four assisted blocks.

Arizona Western built a 10-5 lead in the first set and pushed the lead to 12-6 thanks to a Josi Capellan kill which forced a Southern Nevada timeout. The Lady Matadors finished the first set off with Ma'o Lauhingoa kill, winning the set 25-14.

Southern Nevada came storming back late in the second set after the Lady Matadors built a 19-14 lead after a Gabriela Martensson ace. The Coyotes scored 11 of the final 15 points to win the second set 25-23.

With the help of aces for both Cuellar and Martensson, the Lady Matadors opened up a 16-8 lead in the third set and pushed the lead to 19-8 thanks to back-to-back points from Cuellar. Evelyn Trivino finished the set with a kill, giving the Lady Matadors a 25-12 win.

After trailing early in the fourth set, the Lady Matadors jumped out to a 14-10 lead and would hang on, ending the match on a Trivino ace to win the fourth set 25-21. Trivino led the way with five aces while recording 22 assists.

The Lady Matadors saw their six-match winning streak come to an end in the final match of the day, falling to Eastern Florida in five sets.

The first set was back-and-forth with teams trading leads early. Lauhingoa put together back-to-back kills to pull the Lady Matadors to within one at 17-16 before Cuellar tied the set up at 17 with an ace. The Lady Matadors trailed 23-21 before scoring the final four points to take the opening set 25-23.

Eastern Florida used a 7-0 run to pull ahead of the Lady Matadors in the second set, hanging on to take the second set 25-18. Arizona Western burst out strong to start the third, grabbing a 9-3 lead and fending off the Titans for the remainder of the set for a 25-19 win.

The Lady Matadors couldn't overcome a deficit in the fourth set, getting as close as two points behind before dropping the fourth 25-20. Amanda Juliao gave the Lady Matadors an 8-6 lead in the fifth set but Eastern Florida scored nine of the next 13 points to take the final set 15-12.

Martensson set a season-high with 14 kills while Juliao ended the match with 11 and Lauhingoa finished with a double-double, recording 10 kills and 11 digs.

The Lady Matadors are back in action on Saturday, August 26, hosting Salt Lake at 5:00 p.m. in the final match of the Chapman Automotive AWC Volleyball Invitational 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.