Lady Matadors come up short in 3-1 loss to No. 10 Polk State

HENDERSON, Nev. – The Arizona Western Lady Matadors (2-6) lost a tight battle with No. 10 ranked Polk State (4-4) 3-1 on Friday afternoon in the Coyote Classic.

After the Lad Matadors scored the first two points of the match, Polk State rattled off seven of the next eight to take a 7-3 lead, forcing an Arizona Western timeout. The Lady Matadors fell behind by six before three straight kills, one from Amanda Juliao and two from Makayla Fonoimoana brought AWC to within three at 18-15.  The Lady Matadors would go on to score 11 of the final 17 points, using an 11-5 run to win the first set 26-24.

The Lady Matadors opened the second set with four straight points, continuing their momentum from the first set win. Polk State would embark on a 12-2 run to take a 12-6 lead before a Daniela Jimenez kill snapped the Eagles' run. The Lady Matadors would fight back and cut the deficit to one late but Polk State evened the match at a set a piece with a 25-23 win in the second set.

After the Lady Matadors scored the first point of the third set, Polk State went on to score the next six points, forcing an AWC timeout. Polk State opened up a 14-7 lead before Jimenez recorded a kill to stop the run. Polk State went on to win the set 25-14, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

After trading the first eight points, Polk State used a 4-1 run to open an 8-5 lead in the fourth set. After falling behind by six, the Lady Matadors cut the Eagles' lead to two at 19-17 and 23-21 but Polk State pulled away, taking the final set 25-21, winning the match 3-1.

Jimenez finished the match with a team-leading 15 kills while Fonoimoana ended the match with 13. Natalia Slazynska recorded 34 assists while Juliao led the team with nine digs.

The Lady Matadors will wrap up the Coyote Classic with the final match on Saturday, taking on No. 16 Seward County at 2:00 pm at Vegas Aces Volleyball Club.