Fort Lewis FLC 11-11,4-6 RMAC

South Dakota Mines SDSMT 14-8,7-3 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC

11-11,4-6 RMAC

Final

Oct. 28, 2023

South Dakota Mines SDSMT

14-8,7-3 RMAC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Fort Lewis FLC	15	28	27	25	(3)
South Dakota Mines SDSMT	25	26	25	23	(1)

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Freshman Alina Nunez led the team with a team high 20 kills in a win over SDM

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 10/28/2023 4:40:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications

Nunez's career match guides Skyhawks volleyball to win over Hardrockers

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Freshman Alina Nunez's career match was the difference maker for the Fort Lewis College volleyball team in a four-set, nonconference win over South Dakota Mines. Nunez tallied 20 kills to lead all players, her fourth double-digit kill outing of the year.

With the win, Fort Lewis pulls even at 11-11 while South Dakota Mines dropped to 14-8 on the year.

The Skyhawks hit .227 for the match with 61 total kills. The teams each had eight aces and combined for 15 blocks. Fort Lewis held a 68-66 edge in digs on the night.

"When you play some of the top teams in the conference, you have to be prepared to get uncomfortable and take risks. I trusted our roster depth and switched the line up which made a big difference today," said head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite. "I am extremely proud of Alina and her leadership on the court. Her all-around game is what you want from an outside hitter, and to do what she did as a freshman is pretty incredible."

Nunez paced the team offensively, followed by junior Ella Butler who recorded 10 kills. Senior Chay Swenson had nine kills on 19 errorless swings while freshman Logan Spragg had four kills on six attempts (.667). Junior Natalia Lambos dished out 42 assists to go along with 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Junior Sarah Wilkey led all players with 21 digs—her second straight 20+ dig match. Junior JJ Curry played in three sets and tallied 10 digs and a team-high four blocks.

The battle began with tied scores in the opening set as Swenson's third kill of the frame made it 5-5. The Hardrockers came back to take a five-point lead before a sharp cross-court kill by Hobie brought the score to 12-8. The home team extended the lead out of a quick break, winning the long rallies to see a 20-12 edge. Butler and Hobie combined for kills down the stretch, but a service ace ended the opener in a 25-15 score.

In set two, the Skyhawks freshman kept the team in it, with Jordan DeJesus and Nunez combining for kills to trail 7-6. South Dakota Mines maintained the lead, but Fort Lewis was able to capitalize with its block to see the deficit at 16-13. The Skyhawks hung on late in the set, pulling within one at 20-19 thanks to a block by Butler and Lambos. Fort Lewis was finally able to capture a lead at 22-21 with a Lambos ace and held on to the advantage at 23-22 when Curry dropped in a kill. Nunez put away an overpass to give her team set point, but the Hardrockers sent the set to extra points with kills from the pin. Eventually, Curry earned a block and Butler tipped home a kill for a 28-26 set win.

Fort Lewis got ahead by three to begin the third set, but it was neck and neck from there with ties bringing the score to 10-all. From there, the Hardrockers enjoyed a 4-1 scoring run to claim the lead. Out of a timeout, the Skyhawks regrouped with kills by Butler and Nunez to pull within one. Butler went on to tie the score on a unique dig and kill combination, followed by a kill from Spragg to see an 18-17 lead. The tying trend continued into the final points of the set with a South Dakota Mines attacking error making it 21-21. Fort Lewis surged ahead from there, making their way to set point with a block from Curry and Butler. The teams would go to extra points again before Nunez sent a kill to the deep corner for a 27-25 win.

Nunez gave her team the lead with a run at the service line, making it 7-3 to begin the fourth set. Fort Lewis maintained the lead after an off-speed shot by Nunez made it 13-10, but the home team used a run to take an eventual 15-13 advantage. The lead stayed in the hands of the Hardrockers, but late pressure forced a South Dakota Mines timeout with Fort Lewis trailing 19-16. The Skyhawks fought back with a diverse offense to tie the score again, this time at 21-21. The block of Butler and Nunez scored the next point, and a Butler kill saw the score at 23-21. Nunez continued her dominance, putting away her 19^th and 20^th kills to close the match out.

Up Next
Fort Lewis (11-11, 4-6 RMAC) will be back home to begin November with matches against Adams State University and CSU Pueblo. The Skyhawks will take on the Grizzlies on Friday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m., followed by a Saturday match against the Thunderwolves at 3:00 p.m.

Print Friendly Version