Box Score

KEARNEY, Neb. — No. 10 Nebraska Kearney (27-4 overall) swept Fort Lewis (15-12) in straight sets tonight at the Health & Sport Center in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball championships, but not before the eight-seeded Skyhawks gave the host Lopers a run for their money in the second set.

“We played pretty well,” said seventh-year FLC head coach Shelly Aaland. “We played with a lot of heart. It was just unfortunate that we had to play that team [UNK] at the end. I'm proud of the effort.”

The Lopers prevailed 25-13, 28-26, 25-16 before a crowd of 712.

The game marked the end of the careers of seniors Chelsea Flaming, Taylor Hillberry and Adriana Saiz — the lone remnants of FLC's 2007 team that shared the RMAC championship with Nebraska-Kearney.

“They all had a really solid match,” said Aaland. “The result wasn't what we wanted, but the effort was there from all three. It was a good way to finish.”

One area in which Aaland singled out was defense. “There was lots of digging,” she said.

Flaming had seven kills, but notched 20 of FLC's 73 digs. Hillberry finished with five kills and three blocks. Saiz had 26 assists, six digs, three kills and an ace.

Fort Lewis was led by junior Jessica Wilson, who had 12 kills and 11 digs. Freshman Jenna Kinzer led all players with 27 digs.

The Lopers featured a balanced offense, led by Jeri Walkowiak (12 kills), Kelsey Werner (11 kills) and Ariel Krolikowski (10 kills). Cola Svec added 35 assists and 16 digs.

Fort Lewis matched Nebraska-Kearney early in the first set, trailing 9-7 before the Lopers went on a 11-2 run. Hitting woes plagued FLC in the opening frame, as FLC logged a .025 attack percentage (10 kills, nine errors). The Lopers, in contrast, hit a .243 (12 kills, three errors).

The second set was back-and-forth. Nebraska-Kearney grabbed what seemed to be a commanding 23-17 lead after scoring six straight points. Then FLC reeled off five straight points of their own, pulling to within one. The Skyhawks staved off four game points before ultimately losing 28-26 in the second.

Fort Lewis led for much of the early stages of the third set, building leads of 6-2 and 9-6. Seven straight Loper points, though, switched momentum and gave UNK a 13-9 lead. Fort Lewis managed to trim the margin to three at 18-15 with a Wilson kill, but could get no closer.