CHADRON, Neb. — Although the Chadron State College volleyball team did not win a match in its season-opening tournament in Lindenwood, Missouri, the Eagles showed signs of improvement and consistency.
 
Saturday morning, the Miners of Missouri S&T defeated the Eagles in straight sets 25-21, 25-12, 25-22. In set three, CSC was down 22-18 before they scored four straight points to tie the set at 22. The Miners responded with three straight points to win the set and match.
 
Senior Dominika Senkerikova led the team with 7 kills while hitting a remarkable .417.
 
Despite the three-set loss, Head Coach Riann Mullis saw improvement from her team.
 
"We were a little more disciplined today compared to yesterday," Mullis said. "The competition was similar, we played better but still need to be more consistent."
 
Their latter match, against Southern Nazarene, produced four competitive sets. The Storm managed to overcome the Eagles comeback hopes in set one, winning 25-23. Southern Nazarene reached set point while leading 24-20, but the Eagles responded with three straight points before losing. CSC hit their best percentage of the tournament in the set at .344
 
In set two, the two teams were tied at 16 until the Storm had seven kills in their last 9 points to win 25-20.
 
Set three saw the Eagles open with a 12-4 run in which they never looked back, winning 25-20. Freshman Aracely Hernandez recorded five of the Eagles 13 kills in the set.
 
The Storm responded in set four, winning 25-19.
 
"We were really challenged this weekend," Mullis said. "We played well at some points, not so well at others. In the end though, we always want to win and aren't going to make excuses. This weekend is being used as motivation to get better and continue to compete."
 
Hernandez and junior libero Ashton Burditt were both named to the All-Tourney team for their performances. Hernandez, who had 19 kills against Urbana on Friday, finished the weekend with 36 kills.
 
Burditt, who tied the record for most digs in a match since rally scoring to 25 began with 36 also against Urbana, accounted for 96 digs on the weekend.
 
The Eagles are on the road again next weekend, traveling to Pittsburg, Kansas, for the PSU Classic.