Aztecs volleyball falls to South Mountain CC to open Region I playoffs

The Pima Community College volleyball team (14-14) opened the NJCAA Region I, Division II playoffs on Thursday in Phoenix.

• The No. 4 seeded Aztecs fell to No. 1 seed South Mountain Community College in straight sets 25-15, 25-12, 25-20. Pima will play an elimination match on Friday.
• The Aztecs led 7-4 in the first set but the Cougars scored seven straight points to take the lead. Later, they were outscored 9-3 as the Cougars took a 20-11 lead.
• In the second set, the Aztecs trailed 15-12 and South Mountain scored the final 10 points of the set.
• The Aztecs took the early advantage in the third set and led by as much as five points at 10-5 but the Cougars came back and tied it at 11-11. There were nine ties in the third set. The Aztecs trailed 21-20 but the Cougars scored the final four points to take the set and the match.
• Freshman Madi Nash (Sahuaro HS) finished with seven kills, 12 digs and a block. Freshman Kaleigh Hockett (Desert Mountain HS) had 17 assists while freshman Grace Adams (Sabino HS) posted 16 digs.

The Aztecs will play No. 3 seed Mesa Community College in an elimination game on Friday at 11:00 a.m. at South Mountain Community College.