DURANGO, Colo. – Facing the daunting block of (RV) CSU Pueblo, the Fort Lewis College volleyball team fell in three sets in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference slate on Friday night.
The Pack average 2.4 blocks per set this season and earned a season-high 15 blocks in the win, improving to 14-3 overall and 7-2 in conference play. Fort Lewis falls to 5-10 on the year and 3-6 RMAC.
The Skyhawks hit zero for the match versus a .200 clip for the Pack. In addition to the prowess at the net, CSU Pueblo was stout from the service line with eight aces. Fort Lewis held a slight 45-44 edge in digs, led by senior libero Kamryn Lopez 's 12 digs effort.
Junior JJ Curry led the team with nine kills to go along with five digs. Following Curry was senior Rylee Johnson with six kills. The team picked up kills from five additional players throughout the match. Sophomore Natalia Lambos has 16 assists and four digs in two sets played.
Set One (25-18)
The Pack held an early lead courtesy of four blocks, but the Skyhawks rallied to go ahead 10-9 off a block from freshman Ella Butler. CSU Pueblo battled to earn a side out and took a narrow lead before a short run with kills from Curry had the home team up 14-12. The Pack turned the tables yet again in the later points, taking advantage of a slew of attacking miscues to propel a 9-2 run that closed out the set.
Set Two (25-12)
The visitors earned another early lead fueled by a pair of blocks and service pressure to go ahead 10-2. Sophomore Alexis Hobie and Curry tallied kills to cut into the lead, but the Pack responded with another surge to get ahead 16-7. Fort Lewis showed some fight as the match drew later in nature, earning three straight with a kill and double block on the outside. CSU Pueblo showed no signs of slowing, though, and scored five of the set's final six points to go up by a pair.
Set Three (25-22)
With a new lineup taking the floor for the Skyhawks in the third, the team had an early 5-4 lead thanks to a kill from sophomore Ruthie Ridderhoff. Fort Lewis extended the lead further with a 5-0 run to go ahead 13-8. The run saw kills from Johnson and Curry in addition to a nasty ace off the hand of sophomore Melanie Smith. CSU Pueblo buckled down and proved why its one of the nation's top teams, exploding to a 19-16 advantage that burned the Fort Lewis timeouts. Smith pulled the team within one after her second kills of the set, but the Skyhawks were outmatched late and fell in the finale.
Up Next
Fort Lewis remains home for a 7:00 p.m. first serve tomorrow evening against UCCS. The Skyhawks are coming off a thrilling win over the Mountain Lions in last season's meeting which saw Fort Lewis capturing a 15-13 fifth-set decision.
