Lady Commodores open NJCAA DII Volleyball Championship with four-set victory over Mesa CC
Cedar Rapids, IA- The 8th seeded Lady Commodores came out strong and defeated the 9th seeded Lady Thunderbirds of Mesa Community College 25-16, 25-19, 21-25, 25-13 on the opening day of the 2025 NJCAA DII Volleyball Championships in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Gulf Coast State's front line played steady and strong behind sophomores Danna Aguilera and Kya Colston, along with freshman Isabella Lopez. Aguilera had a huge match with 18 kills, 22 digs, and 3 blocks. Colston was on fire, finishing with 13 kills on a .619 hitting percentage and 7 big blocks. Lopez added 17 kills to round out the attack.
Sophomore setter Melany Salazar set the pace with a Gulf Coast State career-high 49 assists and also picked up 17 digs. Defensive specialist Keira Mathis added 17 digs, DS Liliana Vinas had 14 digs, and sophomore middle hitter Skylar Johnston delivered 4 service aces and 2 blocks to keep the momentum rolling.
The #8 seed Lady Commodores will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 5:30pm, taking on the winner of the #1 Kirkwood vs. #16 Calhoun match.
Match stats: https://gcathletics.com/sports/wvball/2025-26/boxscores/20251119_14xv.xml