Photo by Charlie Lengal III

Colorado Springs, CA —  The Occidental women's volleyball team opened up the first day of the Spike It Up Classic with matches against Belhaven and Colorado College.  In the first match against Belhaven, the Tigers won in three and in the second match against Colorado College, the Tigers lost in three.

In the first set of match one against the Belhaven Blazers, the Tigers were able to come from behind and end the set 25-23.  They carried their momentum into set two and won 20-10.  In set three, the Blazers put up a strong fight, but the Tigers were able to finish the battle in the lead, 25-23.  

Oxy Highlights: 

• Theresa Nevins brought big energy on the court and had 10 kills, hitting .700.  She also put up two strong blocks.

• Kat Chodaczek ran a smart offense and attacked strongly, hitting .556.

• Skye Garcia led with 11 kills and three tough aces, helping the Tigers come from a deficit in the third set.

• Sydney Takauye and Lizzy Kerman made key digs, 17 and 12 respectively,  during crucial plays.

In the second match against Colorado College, Oxy fell in three.  The first set was close ending in 25-22, but the Tigers struggled in the second set 25-9.  The Tigers came back to the court ready to fight in set three, but in the end they were a few points short, finishing at 25-18.

Oxy Highlights:

• Aniya Hawthorne had her game face on with eight kills, hitting .583.

• Skye Garcia made a huge impact with her eight kills, four aces, and one block.

• Lindsey Nurse had four kills and two blocks.

• Kat Chodaczek had 1 block and two kills, hitting .400.

• Sydney Takauye (15), Bethany Heitland (7), and Kennedy Dirkes (6) were essential with their key digs.

Next Game:  Oxy heads into day two of the Spike It Up Classic today where they will compete against Howard Payne and Moravian.