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Chay Swenson Logan Spragg
Kaitlyn Silva

Volleyball poised to take on No. 12 Rangers and Mountain Lions in RMAC road trip

10/19/2023 1:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College volleyball team will travel to take on No. 12 Regis University and UCCS this week with its eyes set on extending the win streak.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks picked up two wins last week, first with a sweep over Western Colorado. The Skyhawks had one of their more well-rounded outings of the year, hitting .276 on the night to go along with 52 digs, seven blocks, and four service aces. The Mountaineers were limited to a .144 efficiency on the night.

Junior Alexis Hobie led the team with 11 kills, her seventh double-digit match of the season. Seniors Lauren Shea and JJ Curry followed with nine kills while combining for 22 digs. Junior Natalia Lambos guided the offense with 32 assists to go along with nine digs. Junior Sarah Wilkey added 10 digs and now had double-digit digs in all but two matches this season.

On Saturday, Fort Lewis came away with a 3-1 win over New Mexico Highlands to close out their Homecoming week. In the win, senior Chay Swenson tallied 14 kills on a career-best .375 hitting percentage off the bench. Swenson's efficiency was part of an impressive turnaround for the Skyhawks squad that ended the match with a .230 efficiency compared to a .159 mark for the Cowgirls. After a slow start, Fort Lewis ended the match outplaying New Mexico Highlands across the board, including a 9-2 advantage in service aces.

Junior Alexis Hobie led the team with 18 kills, mixing her shots effectively to keep the opposing defense guessing. The duo of senior Lauren Shea and junior Sarah Wilkey combined for 40 digs with Wilkey coming away with a career-high 22 for the match. Junior Natalia Lambos came away with 45 assists and a trio of kills.

Scouting No. 12 Regis University
The Rangers are 13-4 on the year and 6-1 in conference play following a loss to No. 10 Colorado Mesa last week. Regis is hitting .269 on the year while holding the opposition to a .143 efficiency. Defensively, the team is outplaying their foes with 14.6 digs per set and 2.6 blocks per set. A balanced offense is key for the Rangers who have five players averaging over two kills per set. Klaudia Sowizral leads the way with 3.00 kills per set and a team-best efficiency of .354. Mara LeGrand coordinates the offense and is averaging 10.32 assists per set. Haley Kennedy holds down the back row with 3.83 digs per set and 268 reception attempts (.951).

Fort Lewis is 4-23 all-time against Regis and fell in a dramatic five-set showdown last season at home. Hobie led the Skyhawks with 17 kills while Shea and Lambos recorded 12 and 10 digs, respectively.

Scouting UCCS
The Mountain Lions are 5-12 this season and 3-4 in RMAC play but have lost six straight matches. UCCS is hitting .162 this season compared to a .212 mark for their opponents. Lauryn Shockley leads the team with 2.41 kills per set, followed by three additional players who average better than two kills per set. The offense runs through Joei Barela and Maylen Mitrovich who have split time at setter. Defensively, Mackenzie Ransom leads the team by averaging 2.94 digs per set.

Fort Lewis is 16-23 all-time against UCCS and earned an important home sweep over the Mountain Lions in last year's meeting. Hobie had 19 kills in the win and Shea picked up 10 digs.

Around the RMAC
The conference has three teams ranked in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, released Monday. MSU Denver leads the way at No. 6 with a 14-3 record, followed by Colorado Mesa at No. 9 with an 18-1 record. Regis University dropped one spot to No. 12 with a 13-4 record.
 
Fort Lewis ranks fourth in the conference in opponent-hitting percentage (.176). Sophomore Ella Butler ranks second in the league with .60 aces per set. Junior Natalia Lambos is averaging 9.44 assists per set to rank fifth in the conference. Junior Alexis Hobie ranks fourth in the league at 3.33 kills per set. Junior Sarah Wilkey is sixth in the conference with 3.82 digs per set.

Inside the Numbers
The Skyhawks average 12.4 kills per set and 11 assists per set this season. The team had a season-high hitting percentage of .348 in a win over Black Hills State. Boasting a deep lineup, Fort Lewis has seven players averaging at least one kill per set. Hobie is leading the way with 3.33 per set, followed by Curry's 2.55. Lambos is averaging a career-best 9.59 assists per set to go along with 1.89 digs per set. Wilkey leads the way on defense with 3.82 digs per set. Butler leads the team with .98 blocks per set, followed by freshman Jordyn Romano's .73 per set average.

Up Next
Fort Lewis will be on the road again next week for another regional pod, this one on the campus of South Dakota Mines. First, the Skyhawks will take on UCCS at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27. The team wraps up the trip with a Saturday match at 1:00 p.m. versus South Dakota Mines.
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