Beeville, TX- The Coastal Bend College Volleyball team hosted a Triangular on Saturday, September 25th with the Temple College Leopards and the Our Lady of the Lake Saints JV at the Peter S. Marecek Physical Fitness Center. The Cougars finished the day winning both matches bringing their record to 9-10 on the season.
The Cougars started out their first match fast taking a quick lead 3-0. However, Temple would fight back to tie the game at 3 and later again at 10. The Leopards would take their first lead of the match at 12-11. The Leopards would increase their lead to 13-11 forcing CBC to call a timeout. Following the timeout, the Leopards would increase their lead to 14-11. After that the Leopards would control the match as the Cougars would never get closer than 3 points. The Leopards really seized control of the match at 20-17 as the Cougars would only be able to land one more point as Temple would go on to win the match 25-18.
Coastal Bend would prove to be too much for Temple and would really dominate the Leopards of over the next three games, winning 25-22, 25-16, 25-17 to secure the first win of the day.
The Cougars were led once again by Odalys Gonzalez who led the cougars in kills with 15 and digs with 20. Renata Dominguez was close behind Gonzalez in the Hitting department with 10 kills while carrying a hitting percentage of .304. Denice Paz and Gabriel Theut led the team in assists with 18 and 13 respectively. Defensively the Cougars had a host of players with double figures digs, Cierra Ovalle 13, Ysabella Hinojosa 13, and Threut with 12.
The Cougars faced the Saints in their second match of the day winning all three games and to get the second win on the day. The Saints scored the first point of the match but Coastal Bend immediately went on the offensive going on a 7-2 run and forcing OLLU to call their first timeout of the match with the Cougars out in front 7-3. The CBC would continue to dominate the first game extending their lead to 18-11 forcing the Saints to call a second timeout. The timeout had little effect on the Cougars as they came out of the timeout to roar to the 25-15 victory in game one.
Game two was a much different story as the two teams battled back and forth but the Cougars would outlast the Saints 26-24. The Saints would have a four-point lead at 12-8 when Coastal Bend called its first timeout. Following the timeout the Cougars would score six straight points to take a two point lead at 14-12. From that point forward neither team could separate from the other as OLLU would make a run of its own to tie the game at 15. Then it was Coastal Bend's turn as they took the lead at 20-17. Again the Saints would mount another comeback to tie the game up at 20. Forcing Coastal Bend to spend their second timeout. Following the timeout, OLLU was the first team to reach 24. That would be all the points the Saints would score as CBC would force a wide hit from the OLLU Middle. The Cougars would then take momentum back scoring the final three points of the game to win 26-24.
The Cougars still riding the momentum from Game 2 landed the first point of Game 3 off a block by CBC's Renata Dominguez that the OLLU Libero was able get back over the net that Dominguez recognized and quickly reacted to sending the free ball back down the line to the far corner of the court. The Cougars comfortably in control of the game at this point leading 11-6 forced the Saints to call timeout. The Saints would get no closer than four points and the Cougars lead grew to as much as eleven matching the final score 25-14, finishing the day winning six consecutive games.
The Cougars were led by Odalys Gonzalez and Renata Dominguez with eleven and ten kills respectively. Setting the table for Gonzales and Dominguez was Leah Gonzales with 18 assists. Denice Paz led the way on defense with seven digs.
Coastal Bend's next match will be on the road, as they head to Baytown, Tx for a Region XIV Conference match versus Lee College. The match is scheduled for Thursday, September 30th at 6:00 PM at the Lee College Wellness Center.