Fort Lewis FLC 10-15,8-10 RMAC

MSU Denver MSUD 26-1,18-0 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

10-15,8-10 RMAC

Final

Nov. 10, 2022

MSU Denver MSUD

26-1,18-0 RMAC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	F
Fort Lewis FLC	16	23	19	(0)
MSU Denver MSUD	25	25	25	(3)

Summary
Box Score

Edward Jacobs Jr

Fort Lewis College ends the 2022 season with a 10-15 overall record

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 11/10/2022 8:25:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications

Fort Lewis College volleyball season ends in RMAC Tournament Quarterfinal

DENVER, Colo. – The 2022 season came to an end for the eight-seed Fort Lewis College volleyball team in the quarterfinal round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday. The Skyhawks fell in three sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-19) to the nation's top team and the tournament host, MSU Denver.

Fort Lewis closes out the season with a 10-15 overall record, bettering its win total of six from a season ago. The Skyhawks played eight matches against teams ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll Top-25, including No. 1 MSU Denver which the team saw on three occasions. MSU Denver will advance to the semifinal round with an overall record of 26-1.

"We came out fighting in each set which is exactly how we want to compete," said head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite. "We left everything we had on the court today, and I am proud of the progress we made this season. I'm very encouraged about the future of this program."

In tonight's match, Fort Lewis held MSU Denver to a .243 hitting efficiency, 50 points lower than its season average. The teams were nearly even on defense with the Roadrunners putting up 52 digs to the Skyhawks' 51. Both sides collected four service aces while MSU Denver committed a match-high nine errors at the line.

Sophomore Alexis Hobie, recently named Second Team All-RMAC, led all players with 12 kills to go along with 13 digs for her eighth double-double of the year. Freshman Ella Butler followed with six kills and a pair of blocks. Senior Kamryn Lopez led all players with 15 digs, closing out her Skyhawks career with 1159 to rank 10^th in the record book. Sophomore Natalia Lambos was credited with 22 assists to end the year with 648 helpers.

Set One (16-25)
Fort Lewis kept it tight in the opener with a kill out of the middle from senior Rylee Johnson seeing the score at 5-4 in favor of the home team. The Skyhawks stayed within a few as the set progressed, but a three-point run by the Roadrunners extended the lead to 18-12. A ball handling error and a kill from Hobie moved it to a 19-14 score before a clutch scoring run put MSU Denver within two of snagging the set. Hobie held off the set's end momentarily, but a kill out of the middle sealed the deal in a 25-16 final. Fort Lewis his .114 in the set compared to the match-high .406 mark for MSU Denver.

Set Two (23-25)
The teams traded points in set two with early ties making up the opening points. Fort Lewis saw an 8-7 advantage when Hobie tallied back-to-back kills, but RMAC Player of the Year Rylee Hladky responded with a shot of her own to knot it again. The Roadrunners looked to put the set out of reach, establishing a 15-10 lead that is typically enough separation for the nation's best. Junior Lauren Shea had other plans, though, as the right side buried one through the lock to jumpstart a comeback that would eventually result in a 19-19 tie. The Roadrunners sided out with a huge block, but Butler answered the call with back-to-back kills to give her team a 21-20 edge. MSU Denver scored the next three before Butler gave her team another point via the kill. The Roadrunners found set point which was briefly put on pause with another kill from Shea and closed out the set by denying Hobie on the pin.

Set Three (19-25)
Again, the set was tight in the early going as the score knotted up a trio of times before a run had MSU Denver ahead 9-4. The Skyhawks responded with five points thanks to kills from the outside, middle, and right side to pull within one at 10-9. Feeling the momentum, Fort Lewis fought to tie the set again at 12-12 with another kill off the hand of Shea. The Roadrunners settled into a rhythm from there, scoring nine of the next 11 points to take hold of a 22-15 lead. Not done yet, the Skyhawks earned kills from Johnson and Hobie to cut the deficit to 23-19. The late burst was not enough, though, as a block on the pun and quick from the middle ended the match in favor of the top-seeded Roadrunners.

A Look at the 2022 Season
The Fort Lewis College volleyball team reached new heights in its third season under the guidance of head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite. The Skyhawks averaged 1.6 aces per set which establishes a program record—previously 1.4 aces per set in 2021. The team also improved its hitting efficiency by nearly 20 points while facing one of the toughest schedules in recent history. The front row averaged 1.7 blocks per set which were the most since an identical average in the 2019 season.

Hobie led the team with 3.25 kills per set, followed by Shea at 2.05 per set. Johnson ended her Skyhawks career by averaging 1.84 kills per set on a team-best .223 efficiency. Butler was not far behind with 1.40 kills per set (.220) and a team-best 38 service aces. Lambos coordinated the offense for much of the year and grew into a role that had her averaging 8.10 assists per set. Lopez closed out her career by averaging 4.03 digs per set—a career-high.

The future is bright for the Skyhawks who will add depth to the already talented roster for the 2023 campaign. Making the RMAC Tournament is a step in the right direction, but the work is not over for a team that is hungry to make history.

Print Friendly Version