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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

VB VELE
David Wilson, FLC Athletics
2
N.M. Highlands NMH 2-7,0-1 RMAC
3
Winner Fort Lewis FLC 1-4,1-0 RMAC
N.M. Highlands NMH
2-7,0-1 RMAC
2
Final
3
Fort Lewis FLC
1-4,1-0 RMAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
N.M. Highlands NMH 16 25 25 17 15 (2)
Fort Lewis FLC 25 19 20 25 17 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Angela Roberts, Athletic Communications Assistant

Five Set Thriller Goes to the Skyhawks in Home Opener; Start RMAC Season 1-0

DURANGO, Colo. – In front of a spirited home crowd within Whalen Gymnasium, the Fort Lewis College volleyball team battled to a five-set win over New Mexico Highlands University to kick off the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) season.

The win moves Fort Lewis to 1-4 on the season and 1-0 in the league while New Mexico Highlands drops to 2-7 overall and 0-1 in RMAC action.

The Skyhawks hit at a .212 clip to mark a season-best while holding the Cowboys to a .162 hitting efficiency. While the offensive production was notable, defense stole the show on both sides of the net. The teams combined for 118 digs and 28 blocks with the Skyhawks putting up a season-high 10 blocks. FLC won the serve-pass battle, racking up six service aces versus just one for the opposition.

"This match was the epitome of teamwork. Our middles were busy putting up blocks tonight, so we needed out pin hitters to come to life," said head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite. "I am so proud of Madi Nash for using all of her tools and really playing like a true senior out there tonight. Alexis Hobie had a great showing and kept us alive in long rallies, so I am excited to see what she does for us going forward."

Individually, the Skyhawks had three players reach double-digit kills. Freshman Alexis Hobie paced the team with a career-high 18 kills to go along with 10 digs. Senior Madi Nash wasn't far behind, putting away 16 kills and hitting at a .353 efficiency. Fellow senior Cameron Callahan reached 11 kills for the match which marked a season high.

Three setters saw the court, but junior Payton Harmann settled into the role throughout the match, distributing 30 assists to go along with eight digs. Junior Kamryn Lopez led the team with 16 digs in addition to providing steady coverage all match. Senior Avynn La Rose was the team's top-blocker, putting away five for the match.

"We have a lot of competition when it comes to certain positions on the court, so I am happy to see some of those moving pieces step up in the big moments," acknowledged Tarnauskaite. "We had players making bold and brave decisions tonight, and I liked the risk taking in some of those tight sets."

Set One (25-16)
The opener was tightly contested through the early stages, but a five-point run provided separation for the Skyhawks with the score moving to 13-9. The Cowboys pulled back within a pair, but another scoring run had the home squad up 20-13. The run featured two kills from sophomore Lauren Burns and a commanding block from Nash and La Rose. A NMHU service error gave the Skyhawks set point, and a kill from Callahan put the set away by a score of 25-16. Fort Lewis hit a staggering .407 in the set and held Highlands to a .185 mark.

Set Two (19-25)
The Cowboys responded from the slow start by going up 7-3 in set two. FLC managed to pull within one point on five separate occasions, but the team couldn't turn the tables. A 7-2 scoring run closed out the set in favor of Highlands, 25-19. Offensive numbers were low on both sides of the net as the fans got to enjoy long rallies from the jump.

Set Three (20-25)
The Skyhawks kept the score close to begin the set, but a 7-1 scoring run saw the home team behind 12-6. Nya Sciacca provided a much-needed side out kill for the Skyhawks, and a pair of Highlands errors moved the score to 12-9. Fort Lewis continued to stay in the match, fighting back from the early deficit, but the team couldn't put together a scoring run, falling by a score of 25-20. NMHU hit at its highest clip for the match, posting a .273 efficiency while holding FLC to a .147 mark.

Set Four (25-17)
Using the energy provided by a rocking home crowd, the Skyhawks flipped the script, going up 8-5 behind early kills from Hobie and Nash. The Cowboys answered, scoring three-straight to knot the score at 8's. FLC got back on track, pushing the lead to 17-12 after back-to-back kills from Callahan. Highlands picked up a clutch block to slow the roll, but errors started to rack up, putting the Skyhawks at set point. Nash took a veteran swing cross court, earning a kill to send the match to five set behind a 25-17 set four romping.

Set Five (17-15)
The deciding set was everything that fans hope for with 12 tied scores and four lead changes bringing spectators to their feet. The Cowboys saw their first lead of the set at 11-10, but a key kill from Callahan tied things up. Harmann and La Rose followed up the kill with a decisive double block to bring things to 12-11. Highlands earned back-to-back kills to see match point at 14-13, but an aggressive swing by Nash resulted in a kill to extend the set. The Cowboys sided out with a kill to see set point yet again, but a costly service error brought things to 15-15. Sophomore Chay Swenson subbed in for the final points and immediately made her presence known, picking up a block alongside Nash to bring on an FLC match point. Harmann found the hot hand, pushing a set out to Nash who sliced one down the line for a 17-15 set win.

Final Thoughts from Coach Tarnauskaite
"We knew that we had to go to work if we wanted to be contenders in a competitive conference, so to see that our hard work paid off in front of our home crowd makes it very rewarding. I'm excited that the team got to experience this moment, and I'm looking forward to moving that momentum forward heading into the challenging road trip."

Up Next
Fort Lewis (1-4, 1-0 RMAC) will hit the road for its first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) road match of the season. The Skyhawks make their way to Denver to face Metropolitan State University of Denver on Saturday, September 18 for a 3:00 p.m. start.
 
 
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