Colorado College defeated Illinois Wesleyan University and Otterbein University on Saturday to win the 2010 Molten Volleyball Pikes Peak Challenge with a pristine 4-0 record.
The No. 5-ranked Tigers clinched the championship with a 25-18, 25-19, 25-14 victory over Otterbein in the tournament finale. The Cardinals finished second with a 3-1 record.
Colorado College used a balanced offense and relentless defense to maintain control throughout the match.
All five attackers in the starting lineup had at least four kills, led by junior outside hitter Sarah Schmoker with nine. Junior opposite hitter Meredith Ballard, whom the opposing coaches voted tournament MVP, senior middle blocker Erika Pirotte and sophomore outside hitter Kate Squires finished with six apiece.
Pirotte led the defensive effort with a match-high 17 digs, while sophomore libero Laura Goldsmith added 14. Pirotte and senior middle blocker Emily Perkins, who was named to the all-tournament team, each had a hand in two of CC's five blocked shots.
The Tigers held Otterbein to a .009 team hitting percentage, the third time in four matches this weekend CC's opponent hit under .100.
The Cardinals stayed close early in the first set, trailing just 7-5 after a kill by Annie Juenger. But Colorado College showed a glimpse of what was to come when it went on an 8-3 run to take control. OU pulled to within three points at 20-17, only to see Colleen Keresey and Perkins score two points apiece to close out the set.
In Games two and three, the Tigers jumped out to 5-0 leads and were never seriously threatened.
Rayna Coleman led the Cardinals attack with nine kills, while Lindsey Russell had a team-high 12 digs.
Colorado College began the day with a 25-14, 25-16, 27-25 victory over Illinois Wesleyan.
Ballard led a balanced Tiger attack with a match-high 11 kills. Squires had seven kills on nine attacks for a scorching .778 hitting percentage.
All five of CC's attacker had at least five kills.
Colorado College returns to action next weekend when the Tigers play host to the 2010 Molten Volleyball CC Invitational. The Tigers face Wheaton College and Eastern University on Friday, and then Linfield College in the final match of the round-robin portion of the tournament on Saturday morning.
The third-place and championship matches are scheduled for 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, respectively.
