Lady Lopes Lose Heartbreaker to OJC

Lady Lopes Lose Heartbreaker to OJC

On Thursday, October 22, the LCC Volleyball team hosted their "Dig Pink" night as they faced off with rival Otero Junior College.  The team played in their pink jerseys to support breast cancer awareness. 

Coach Brandon Stephenson commented, "Going into our Thursday match against OJC, the team had one mindset: win and have a shot at the 3rd seed in the tournament."

The Lopes took the first point of the night, but allowed the Rattlers a five point streak early in the game.  The two teams battled the entire night, rarely being more than a few points apart.  The team battled back to tie up the score at eight, which set the tone for the rest of the set.  Both teams were swinging big and trading points.  The set tied up again at seventeen, but the Rattlers slowly took the lead and, eventually, the set.  The first set ended with a score of 21-25.

LCC came out quick in the second set, scoring first and building a small lead.  The set tied up at seven, after which the two teams traded points back and forth to eleven.  The Lopes then started to pull ahead, building a seven point lead which they maintained to end the game at 25-18.

The Lopes continued to play well in the third set including several big blocks from TaNille Williams.  The Lopes took the third set with a final score of 25-18. 

OJC came back in the fourth set with newfound energy, making for a very tight set.  Early in the action the Rattlers got a four point streak but the Lopes fought back, eventually tying up the game at fourteen points.  Play was very close with the two teams trading points nearly until the end.  However, OJC was able to pull ahead and win, 22-25, causing the match to go five sets.   

The Rattlers scored first and played relentlessly, building a seven point lead when the teams switched sides of the net.  LCC came back firing and were able to reduce that lead, but couldn't take back the game.  They came out two points short, making the score of the final set 13-15.

"It was a hard fought match," said Coach Stephenson.  "Every time that OJC and LCC get together, you know it's going to go 5 sets. They just had our number tonight."

In addition to being a big game for the Lady Lopes, the night served another purpose: to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.  The team raised funds for the Southeast Colorado Cancer Initiative (SECCI) through a silent auction for a pink jersey signed by the 2015-2016 Lopes Volleyball team.

"The silent auction went well. We were able to raise $125 for the cause," noted Coach Stephenson. 

Also, during the intermission of the game, the LCC Cosmetology students cut one fan's hair to raise awareness for their current Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign, also to benefit breast cancer awareness.  This campaign will continue through Thursday, October 29.  For more information, call the LCC Cosmetology Salon at 719.336.4408.