CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State hit .240 or better in all three sets and recorded nine blocks but came up a couple points short three times in a 25-21, 25-20, 25-23 loss to New Mexico Highlands at the Chicoine Center.
Bella Adams hit 10 kills with no errors and a .467 percentage to lead the way for the Eagles in the loss, while Chloe Grady came up with six blocks defensively, including two solo swats. Mataya Ward contributed on both sides of the net with 10 kills to match Adams and four blocks.
The loss, which does not count in the RMAC standings, drops the Eagles to 5-17 on the season. New Mexico Highlands improved to 11-12 and sealed a 2-0 weekend in the Chicoine Center after the Cowgirls beat Black Hills State in four sets Friday night.
The Eagles finished with a consistent 38 kills and 11 attack errors, recording over 10 kills and four or fewer errors in each set. Chadron State hit .242 as a team in both the first and second sets and improved that mark to .256 in the third. The Eagles' .248 team hitting percentage was their fifth-best single-match performance of the season and CSC's second-best in a loss.
Five Eagles attackers hit. .250 or better – Adams (10 kills, 0 errors, .476), Grady (3 kills, 1 error, .286), Natali Keni (3 kills, 1 error, .286), Ward (10 kills, 2 errors, .267) and Kally Kirkwood (6 kills, 2 errors, .250). The Eagles also split duties at setter, with freshman Jillian Donovan finishing with 14 assists and three digs and redshirt sophomore Cydnie Eskew chipping in 13 assists and five digs.
The Eagles made their presence known on the block early, with Grady combining with Ward once and Gibson Beckler once on back-to-back plays to record CSC's first two blocks of the night to tie the first-set score at 4-4. Although Highlands won the next three points and maintained a narrow lead, Chadron State used a service error, Jillian Donovan skip-set kill and Gibson Beckler ace to knot it up again at 15-15.
Another Chadron State ace, this time from Avery Lacy, tied the score a little later at 21-21, but the Cowgirls answered with a run that left CSC no time to respond, winning four consecutive points on two kills, an ace and a block to win set one 25-21.
In the second, Chadron State jumped out to a 2-0 lead off kills from Ward and Kirkwood, and the two teams changed the lead five times by the time New Mexico Highlands edged in front 16-15, then added back-to-back aces to take an 18-15 lead. Another 4-0 Cowgirls run put them on the brink, and they closed it out soon after for a 25-20 set win.
In the third set, New Mexico Highlands tried to put things away, but the Eagles kept showing resiliency. The Cowgirls recorded a 5-0 scoring run to take a 9-4 lead, but the Eagles clawed back and tied it at 14-14 with an ace from Donovan. New Mexico Highlands inched back ahead 17-15, but Kally Kirkwood hit back-to-back kills to tie it at 17.
After the Cowgirls earned match point with a four-point lead at 24-20, the Eagles made them work to put the match away, saving three match points on back-to-back kills from Natali Keni and a solo block by Mataya Ward. The Eagles nearly saved a fourth with a diving dig from Ward, but CSC couldn't quite get the deflection back over the net and the Cowgirls emerged with a 25-23 win.
Chadron State has its final road trip of 2025 next weekend, traversing to Salt Lake City and Grand Junction to take on Westminster on Friday and Colorado Mesa on Saturday.
