Fort Lewis FLC 3-4,1-0 RMAC

N.M. Highlands NMH 3-6,0-1 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

3-4,1-0 RMAC

Final

Sep. 06, 2022

N.M. Highlands NMH

3-6,0-1 RMAC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Fort Lewis FLC	25	26	20	26	(3)
N.M. Highlands NMH	16	24	25	24	(1)

Summary
Box Score

LCU Athletics

FLC opened the RMAC season with a 3-1 win over NMHU

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 9/6/2022 8:41:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications

Skyhawks open RMAC play with 3-1 win over Cowgirls

DURANGO, Colo. – For the second-straight year, the Fort Lewis College volleyball team defeated New Mexico Highlands to open the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference portion of its schedule. The four-set win lifts the Skyhawks to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the RMAC. The Cowgirls dip to 3-6, 0-1 RMAC.

"There is added pressure when the teams start competing in conference play, and it was evident tonight," acknowledged head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite. "We were still able to reset and focus on the details, though. Our confidence shined through and pushed us to the win."

Fort Lewis hit .210 for the match compared to a .201 mark for NMHU. The Cowgirls tallied more kills for the match, but the Skyhawks held a dominant 12-7 edge in blocks to kickstart the defensive efforts.

Sophomore Alexis Hobie led all players with 17 kills (.342) to mark a season-high while adding 11 digs for her first double-double of the season. Junior Lauren Shea followed with nine kills and a team-high four blocks on the right side. Shea also chipped in from the service line, dropping in a career-high three aces. Freshman Ella Butler tacked on five kills (.286), two aces, and three blocks for the match. Sophomore Sarah Wilkey came away with a career-best 13 digs at her libero position.

Set One (25-16)
The opener was tight to start, but each attempt that NMHU made to tie or overtake the lead was met with an error to hold the advantage in the hands of Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks found separation at 12-7 behind a Shea kill and NMHU attacking error, but the Cowgirls scored a pair to pull within three. That was as close as they would get, though, as back-to-back kills off the hand of Hobie extended the lead to 20-13. The offense was diverse down the stretch with kills from junior JJ Curry on the outside, Shea from the right, and Butler out of the middle closing it out.

The Skyhawks took advantage of errors on the side of the Cowgirls, outhitting the home team .394-.057 in the opening set.

Set Two (26-24)
The Cowgirls showed errors early in the set, but the team regrouped and rattled off an ace to knot. Fort Lewis rallied to take a 9-5 edge with an ace from Wilkey, but the lead was short-lived as a four-point run tied it again. The momentum dipped back and forth from there, and a block from senior Joviana Romero and Butler tied it yet again at 20 all. NMHU score the following two points with a kill and service ace, but a side-out kill from Shea pulled the team within one. The energy led the Skyhawks to set point, and the blue and gold eventually closed it out with a rip from Hobie.

Set Three (20-25)
Again, the lead swapped sides to begin the third, but a burst from the Cowgirls pulled the home squad ahead 14-11. Romero accounted for a pair of kills to close the gap at 14-13, and senior Rylee Johnson would go on to tie it at 15-15. NMHU strung together four-point courtesy of an ace and pair of hitting miscues to take a notable 21-16 edge. Fort Lewis tried to chip away at the lead, earning kills from Hobie and a block from Butler, but a Cowgirl kill closed it out to send the match to four.

NMHU had its most efficient set of the night in the third, hitting .244 with 14 kills compared to a .081 mark for Fort Lewis.

Set Four (26-24)
It was a set of runs with a Skyhawk lead being washed away with an NMHU kill which made it 5-4. Shea accounted for two points midway through the set, turning the score to 14-11 with an ace. Just when Fort Lewis looked to have a comfortable 20-15 advantage, NMHU rattled off four in a row to make it a one-point set. Another scoring run turned the tables and made it set point Cowgirls at 24-22, but grit and tenacity showed their teeth in that moment. Fort Lewis put down four straight with kills from Curry and Hobie to pick up the win to close out the match.

Up Next
Fort Lewis (3-4, 1-0 RMAC) will be welcomed home to Whalen Gymnasium on Saturday when they take on No. 4 MSU Denver for a 6:00 p.m. start. The Skyhawks are 2-11 all-time versus the Roadrunners with both wins coming on their home court.

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