Box score

ALAMOSA, Colo. — Adams State volleyball coach Lindy Mortensen claimed her 100th career victory as the 19th-ranked Grizzlies made quick work of Fort Lewis in straight sets, 25-17, 25-22, 25-20 Saturday night in Plachy Hall.
 
“Adams State plays a very methodical game,” said ninth-year FLC head coach Shelly Aaland. “When we had our chances, they were able to keep us from closing it out. They forced us out of our game plan.”
 
The victory that took just one hour and seven minutes allowed the Grizzlies to improve to 12-2 overall and to 5-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, good for a first place tie in the RMAC West Division and overall conference standings.
 
Fort Lewis, winners of two straight coming in, fell to .500 at 7-7 overall and 3-3 in the loop. The Skyhawks are now fourth place in the RMAC West, two games behind the front-running Grizzlies and Mavericks a third of the way through the league schedule.
 
“Now that we're through the first round of the West, we have a much better idea of what it's going to take to put ourselves in a position for postseason play,” said Aaland.
 
There wasn't much that went FLC's way in the Adams State match, as the Grizzlies dominated nearly every statistic. ASU registered more kills (39-27) and digs (45-28) than the Skyhawks, while hitting an efficient .223. Fort Lewis hit just .040 with 23 errors nearly offsetting their 27 kills.
 
“Kristin Stephan had a solid match,” Aaland said of her junior middle blocker. “She was able to find some open spots on the court for a productive night.”
 
Stephan had six kills and a .357 hitting efficiency. Ashley Wells added eight kills and a .094 attack percentage. Libero Jenna Kinzer had seven digs and setter Ciara Krening had 24 assists and six digs
 
The Grizzlies were led by a dozen kills from senior outside hitter Dominique Davis and a strong defensive effort that held the Skyhawks to just a .040 hitting effort.  The Grizzlies hit .223 as a team as junior setter Gabriella Rifilato tallied 35 assists and eight digs.
 
Her freshman sister, Katherine, and senior libero Valerie Garcia tallied 10 digs each while junior right side hitter Letisha Spencer chipped in nine kills while hitting a match-best .412.
 
Fort Lewis had its chances.
 
The Skyhawks took a 13-6 lead early in the second before a Krening service error, one of nine the Skyhawks would commit, innocently started what ended up being a 10-3 Grizzly spurt in a set that Adams State eventually won 25-22.
 
The third set was a back-and-forth affair that saw FLC rally for five straight points to turn a four-point deficit to a one-point lead at 17-16. Back-to-back Skyhawk attack errors put the Grizzlies in front 18-17 and ASU never looked back.
 
Fort Lewis plays its next seven games against RMAC East Division teams, including four straight in the friendly confines of Whalen Gymnasium. FLC hosts Chadron State (3-12, 1-5) at 7 p.m. Friday and Black Hills State (4-10, 0-6) at 6 p.m. Saturday on homecoming weekend.