Colorado College gave Southwestern University all it could handle, but the Tigers dropped a 25-23, 19-25, 25-15, 25-23 decision to the Pirates in the championship match of the 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.
Meredith Ballard had a team-high 14 kills for CC. Erika Pirotte led the defense with 22 digs, while Amy Schornack had a hand in five blocked shots.
The Tigers advanced to the title match by coming from behind for a 25-19, 18-25, 26-28, 25-18, 15-10 in Saturday afternoon's semifinal match.
Sarah Schmoker led the Tigers with 18 kills, while Emily Perkins added 17.
Perkins and Schmoker were named to the all-tournament team.
CC will take a 33-4 record into next week's 2009 NCAA Tournament. The pairings will be announced on Monday.
