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Volleyball vs. CCU
Angela Roberts, FLC Athletic Communications

Skyhawks end regular season at home, honor Faculty/Staff and seniors

11/2/2022 2:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – This week marks the end of the regular season and the home finale for the Fort Lewis College volleyball team as the group looks to make one final push into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.

Looking Back
The Skyhawks faced a pair of tough opponents last week on the road, falling to Colorado Christian University (3-1) and No. 1 MSU Denver (3-0). In the match versus CCU, Fort Lewis hit .117 for the match compared to a .254 efficiency for CCU. The Skyhawks out-blocked and out-served the Cougars with seven of each on the night. Senior Rylee Johnson led the lead with 11 kills and five blocks, followed by junior Lauren Shea at 10 kills to go along with eight digs. Senior Kamryn Lopez picked up 14 digs to lead the team. Sophomore Natalia Lambos dished out 39 assists and three kills in the effort.

The following afternoon, the Skyhawks were tasked with taking on the nation's best on their home court. After playing MSU Denver to four sets early in the year, Fort Lewis was unable to swipe a set in the series finale. MSU Denver hit at a .264 clip while holding Fort Lewis to just a .009 mark for the match. Hobie led the lead with eight kills to go along with three blocks. Senior Joviana Romero played in the final two sets and picked up four kills. Sophomore Sarah Wilkey led the team with 10 digs, her first double-digit dig outing since September 6th. Freshman Ella Butler had four blocks to bring her season total to 51.

Scouting Adams State University
The Grizzlies are 8-16 this season with a 5-11 record in RMAC play. The team went winless last weekend against New Mexico Highlands (3-2) and Regis University (3-0). Of the team's wins, five have been in straight sets. Efficient offense has been prevalent in each of the Grizzlies' wins with six of the most efficient matches having resulted in wins.

ASU hits .174 as a team compared to .225 for their opponents. This season, they have been losing the serve and pass battle with 1.2 aces per set compared to 1.7 receiving errors per set. Cindy Garcia is leading the team with 3.24 kills per set to go along with 17 service aces. Four players follow with over two kills per set. The offense has primarily run through Madeleine Benally who averages 7.46 assists per set to lead the team. Aileen Bugas holds down the libero position with 3.69 digs per set and just 21 receiving errors in 476 chances.

Fort Lewis trails the series history at 8-12 with a 4-5 record at home. Last season, the Skyhawks fell by a 3-1 final in the last week of the regular season. Hobie had 12 kills to lead the team, followed by Romero at eight. Romero was stout defensively, as well. The outside hitter picked up 22 digs to lead the team, followed by Lopez at 21.

Scouting New Mexico Highlands
The Cowgirls are 6-18 on the year at 3-13 in league play. The team fell in its lone game over the weekend, dropping a 3-0 match to Regis. This season, NMHU is 0-9 in road matches and has been swept on 12 occasions. Three of the six wins have come in five-setters, including a recent thriller versus Adams State.

NMHU hits .155 as a team this year while allowing a .200 efficiency on the other side of the net. A bright spot has been defense where the team averages 15.7 digs per set. Pacing the Cowgirls in kills per set is Terayah Stukee at 2.79. Two additional players put down over two kills per set. Soleil Gandara is dishing out 8.94 assists per set to go along with a team-best 24 service aces. Elena Rivera picks up 4.16 digs per set and is a primary target on serve receive with over 400 chances.

The teams met to open the conference portion of the season on September 6 with Fort Lewis earning a 3-1 win in Las Vegas. Hobie notched a double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs. The win pushes the series history to 20-9 in favor of Fort Lewis.

Faculty and Staff Appreciation
Friday's match will serve as this season's faculty and staff appreciation night, and all FLC faculty/staff members will have access to the hospitality tent in the lobby. The tent will be stocked with snacks and alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages. Skyhawks athletics is endlessly thankful for the dedication and commitment of our FLC family, and we hope to see you all there.

Senior Night
Saturday's match will be the team's senior night celebration where we will honor Rylee Johnson, Kamryn Lopez, and Joviana Romero for their efforts as student-athletes throughout their careers. The three have varying roles on the team, Johnson a middle blocker, Lopez a defensive specialist, and Romero an outside hitter. The leadership that the trio brings to each position group has been imperative in the team's success and cohesion with so many new players joining the family this season. Thank you, seniors, for all that you do on and off the court to represent Skyhawks athletics.
 
Volleyball Seniors


The Road Ahead
Looking around the RMAC, the Skyhawks are in desperate need of a pair of wins this weekend if they want to extend their season into the conference tournament. If the season ended today, Fort Lewis would be the first team out with its ninth-place ranking. UCCS and South Dakota Mines are ahead of Fort Lewis at 7-9 in league play. If the Skyhawks win both matches this weekend, the team's record would improve to 8-10.

UCCS faces Colorado Christian and No. 1 MSU Denver to close out the regular season. Should they split and the Skyhawks sweep, the teams would have an identical record. Fort Lewis would win the tiebreaker via the head-to-head result (3-0 win). South Dakota Mines will play Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines to end the regular season. Should they split and the Skyhawks sweep, South Dakota Mines would win the tie-breaker via the head-to-head result (3-0 win).

AVCA Top-25 Poll
The week 10 version of the Coaches Poll saw MSU Denver remaining at No. 1 with 31 first-place votes. Wayne State College, a team that held down the top spot for much of the season, moved up to No. 3 with 15 first-place votes. The Northern Sun Conference, a perennial volleyball powerhouse, boasts three teams in the top five and five teams in the top 10.

Following MSU Denver, Regis University finds itself at No. 14 after an undefeated weekend—improving on their No. 17 ranking from week nine. Colorado Mesa is close behind at No. 15 after sweeping Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. The loss drops Mines to No. 22 to round out the ranked teams in the RMAC.

South Central Region Ranks
On October 26, the first regional ranking of the year was made public. The teams were listed in alphabetical order in the first version of the poll. Five teams from the RMAC made the list of 10, the other half coming from the Lone Star Conference.
Rankings

 
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