Kenna Simon finishes with nine kills but Aztecs Volleyball drops match to Mesa CC

The Pima Community College volleyball team (7-8, 3-2 in ACCAC) returned to the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium on Wednesday to face off against Mesa Community College (6-7, 3-2).

• The Aztecs fell in straight sets to the Thunderbirds 25-18, 25-21, 25-20.
• The Aztecs trailed early in the first set but scored five straight points as sophomore Sasha Ross (Canyon del Oro HS) had two straight kills while sophomores Christina Shaffer (Pusch Ridge Christian HS) and Abby Whatton (Canyon del Oro HS) also had kills during that stretch to give Pima the lead. Down 15-14, freshman Kenna Simon tied it with her kill. The Thunderbirds scored four straight points to take the lead for good.
• The Aztecs gained an early upper hand in the second set after back-to-back kills from Ross. Down 10-9, the Aztecs scored three straight points as Whatton had a pair of kills to put the Aztecs up again at 12-10. Mesa rallied off four straight points to take the lead back for good. Pima cut the deficit to three points at 24-21 but couldn't get any closer as Mesa took a 2-0 lead in the match.
• The Aztecs grabbed an early advantage again in the third set with freshman Elli Meinke's (Ironwood Ridge HS) ace and kills from Simon and freshman Jasmin Joseph (Tanque Verde HS) to make it 6-3. The Thunderbirds scored nine of the next 13 points to take the lead at 12-10. Simon's kill and Meinke's ace tied it back up at 12-12. The teams traded points but Mesa scored four straight to make it 19-15. The Aztecs cut into their lead with kills from Meinke and Simon to make it 22-20 but Mesa closed out the match with the final two points.
• Simon led the Aztecs with nine kills while Ross finished with six kills and six digs. Whatton had five kills and five digs.
• Freshman Taylor Crawford (Ironwood Ridge HS) closed out the match with 32 assists, six digs and five kills. Sophomore Morgan Hains (Canyon del Oro HS) finished up with 30 digs.

The Aztecs face a tough test on Friday when they play at No. 2 ranked Scottsdale Community College. The match begins at 7:00 p.m.