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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Bailey Longacre 11.8
Maureen Pasley, FLC Athletics
Senior middle blocker Bailey Longacre finished with a career-high 21 kills in Friday's win over New Mexico Highlands (File photo)
1
N.M. Highlands NMH 1-23,0-16 RMAC
3
Winner Fort Lewis FLC 10-15,5-10 RMAC
N.M. Highlands NMH
1-23,0-16 RMAC
1
Final
3
Fort Lewis FLC
10-15,5-10 RMAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
N.M. Highlands NMH 25 22 16 20 (1)
Fort Lewis FLC 22 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Longacre sets career-high in Skyhawks' 3-1 victory over New Mexico Highlands

DURANGO, Colorado — Back on its home floor for the first time since Oct. 19, the Fort Lewis College volleyball team opened its final home stand of the regular season in style with a four-set victory (22-25, 25-22, 25-16 and 25-20) over New Mexico Highlands University.

The Skyhawks (10-15 overall, 6-10 RMAC) produced one of its best offensive performances of the season in the win, recording a season-low 13 attack errors, 51 kills and a .255 attack percentage.

"We have these goals every match and, offensively, I don't think we ever really hit the goal until (Friday)," said Fort Lewis head coach, Tricia Melfy. "Our goal has always been .240 or higher with our attack percentage. We had one set with 16 kills and two errors. That's been our goal all season long to execute that way."

Leading the charge was the Skyhawks was senior middle blocker Bailey Longacre, who powered down a career-high 21 kills on a sizzling .421 attack percentage. Her previous high was 18 kills, accomplished twice this season against Chadron State College (Sept. 21) and Westminster College (Oct. 4).

Fittingly, the 21 kills also pushed Longacre to 235 total kills on the season, which also set a single-season career high for the native of Highland Village, Texas.

"Her arm may literally fall off because I want us to give her the ball so much," Melfy jested. "Payton (Harmann) really focused on her and there have been times where Payton, as a freshman setter, has dished it around a lot and we want that. But when there is constantly one girl hitting .300 or .400 we have to give her the ball more. Payton realized that and was able to give Bailey the ball where she could make good decisions."

Payton Harmann finished the evening with 40 assists; 31 of which went to either Longacre or fellow senior Ohiyah Shirley, who was the second Skyhawk in double-figures with 10 kills. Harmann added 14 digs to notch her 13th double-double of the season.

The turning point in the match came in Set Two for the Skyhawks as, after dropping Set One by a 25-22 final to the Cowgirls (1-23 overall, 0-16 RMAC), FLC ratcheted up the offense for 16 kills versus just two errors in Set Two for a .452 hitting percentage.

"I think the girls knew they were just going through the motions in the first set and, during that timeout between the second set, it was a talk of wanting more, wanting to a playmaker and wanting to be a difference maker," Melfy said. "That was the language going on in the huddle and I think that's what changed. Girls were thinking 'I'm going to make a difference and not just play.'"

Defensively, Shirley paced all Skyhawks with 15 digs. She was joined in double-figures by Harmann, and junior outside hitter Alexa Treguboff with 14 apiece, and freshmen defensive specialists Kamryn Lopez (11 digs) and Alexa Alameddin (13 digs).

It marked the third time in the last five games that Alameddin has recorded 11 or more digs since carving out a spot in the Skyhawks' starting lineup.

"She brings to us nice options on serve receive and defensively she does a nice job," Melfy said of Alameddin. "But the reason she has risen up and gotten the start is because her passing has been so good. She came on really strong in Set Three and Set Four."

The Skyhawks will look to build off Friday's momentum when they host Colorado State University-Pueblo at 5:30 p.m. Saturday on Senior Night.

"CSU-Pueblo is having a great year and it's going to be a tough one. I just hope with home court advantage and it being Senior Night that we can do something special," Melfy said. "I think with that energy and some confidence from (Friday), that should help us. CSU-Pueblo is a pretty good team and we're going to have to play even better than we did tonight. But tonight did give us that confidence that we can play well enough to beat them."
 
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