DENVER, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College volleyball team faced its toughest opponent of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 6 Metropolitan State University of Denver in straight sets (25-20, 25-12, 25-23) in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) action.  

Fort Lewis drops to 1-5 overall and 1-1 in the conference while MSU Denver improves to 7-2 and 2-0 in the league.

"I'm pleased with the aggressiveness that our players showed today. With a team like Metro, you have to take chances and we did a great job challenging them," said head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite .

The Skyhawks hits .170 as a team compared to .365 for the Roadrunners. MSU Denver held an edge in most major statistical categories, including a 39-21 edge in digs. FLC was led by sophomore Chay Swenson who put away nine kills on 19 swings. Freshman Alexis Hobie followed with seven kills, and senior Avynn La Rose was close being with six of her own. Junior Rylee Johnson made her season with four kills on five swings for an .800 hitting percentage.

"It was great having Rylee back. She is an uber competitor, and her energy on the court can really be a game-changer for us," acknowledged Tarnauskaite. "I'm looking forward to seeing what her presence brings to the group going forward."

Freshman Natalia Lambos had 11 assists while junior Payton Harmann chipped in nine. Junior Kamryn Lopez led the team with eight digs. Johnson, La Rose, and sophomore Lauren Burns each had two blocks.

 "We have a quick turnaround heading into the next match. Our focus will be put on ironing out some of the details that will make us a complete team," commented Tarnauskaite. "Offense and consistency will be a huge figure for us if we want to challenge and beat our opponents going forward."

Up Next
Fort Lewis (1-5, 1-1 RMAC) will head to the campus of Western Colorado University (6-3, 1-0 RMAC) for a Tuesday night showdown with the Mountaineers. First serve is slated for 6:00 p.m.