Aztecs Volleyball rally cut short against No. 12 Chandler-Gilbert CC

The Pima Community College volleyball team (3-5, 0-1 in ACCAC) opened ACCAC conference play and hosted its home opener on Tuesday at the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium.

• The Aztecs snagged a set but fell to No. 12 ranked Chandler-Gilbert Community College in four games (25-16, 25-21, 21-25, 25-17).
• The Coyotes scored nine of the final 11 points to take the first set. The Aztecs took an 8-6 lead in the second set but the Coyotes scored five straight points to take the lead. Chandler-Gilbert matched their biggest lead at 24-19 but the Aztecs made it interesting after a kill by sophomore Jessica Bright-Schade (Safford HS) and an ace by freshman Morgan Hains (Canyon del Oro HS). The Coyotes scored the next point to take a 2-0 lead.
• The Aztecs led by as much as four points in the third set but the Coyotes cut it to 22-21. Freshman Sasha Ross (Canyon del Oro HS) halted Chandler-Gilbert's momentum with a kill; which was followed by two straight kills by sophomore Madi Wilson (Tanque Verde HS) to secure the third set win for Pima.
• The Coyotes scored six straight points early in the fourth set to take a 12-5 advantage. The Aztecs cut the deficit to four points on five occasions from that point but could not inch any closer.
• Sophomore Lina Kassimatis finished with a team-high 12 kills while Wilson fell short of a double-double with eight kills and 15 digs.
• Sophomore Isabella Jacome closed out the match with 26 assists while freshman Laney Morris (Thatcher HS) posted a double-double of 10 assists and 10 digs. Hains had 19 digs.

The Aztecs will head to Las Vegas, NV for the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) Tournament on Friday and Saturday. They will play Parkland College at 1:00 p.m. and close out Friday's play against host College of Southern Nevada at 5:00 p.m.