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Chay Swenson
Kaitlyn Silva
Senior Chay Swenson will be the lone senior honored on Saturday afternoon ahead of the home finale

Volleyball gears up for home finale, welcomes Grizzlies and ThunderWolves

11/2/2023 11:00:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College volleyball team will be inside of Whalen Gymnasium for the final time this season with a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matches against Adams State University and CSU Pueblo.

Last Time Out
Fort Lewis came away from its Power Pod with a pair of wins over UCCS and South Dakota Mines. In the win over UCCS, defense was the difference as the Skyhawks totaled a season-high 91 digs to go along with 10 blocks. Junior Natalia Lambos came away with a career-high 18 digs and senior libero Sarah Wilkey matched a career-high with 22 to lead all players. Junior Alexis Hobie led all players with 19 kills, followed by senior Chay Swenson who contributed a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Ella Butler followed with 10 kills and a match-best five blocks.

The following afternoon, the Skyhawks earned a four-set win over the host team, South Dakota Mines. 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. Freshman Alina Nunez led all players with a career-high 20 kills, 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.

Scouting Adams State University
The Grizzlies are 7-15 on the year and 3-7 in conference play. Last week, the Grizzlies picked up wins over New Mexico Highlands (3-0) and Chadron State College (3-2). Adams State is hitting .177 this season compared to a .226 clip for their opponents. The team is out blocking their foes by a 2.1-1.5 blocks per set margin. Individually, Cindy Garcia is leading the team with 3.02 kills per set, followed by Anna Huggins are 2.73. Setters have split time this year and Remi Vargas leads the pack at 5.28 assists per set. Three players average over two digs per set, led by Ailee Bugas at 2.97 per set.

Fort Lewis is 22-29 all-time against Adams State. The Skyhawks earned a four-set win over the Grizzlies in late September at the regional pod. In the win, Fort Lewis hit .275 with double-digit kills from four players. Hobie led the way with 22 kills (.405) while Wilkey recorded 19 digs.

Scouting CSU Pueblo
The Pack has turned their season around after beginning the year with a 1-7 record. Now, CSU Pueblo sits at 11-11 overall and 8-2 in conference play. Last week, the Pack split against Colorado Christian (L, 1-3) and Mines (W, 3-0). Before those matches, CSU Pueblo knocked off No. 6 MSU Denver in four sets. The Pack is hitting .262 this season to go along with 14.4 digs per set. Payton Van Veen leads the team with 3.25 kills per set, followed by three players with at least two kills per set. Outside hitter Sadie Scoville leads the team with 3.16 digs per set and 467 reception attempts.

Fort Lewis is 21-26 all-time against CSU Pueblo. Despite the narrow series history, the Skyhawks have not taken a set from the Pack since 2018. In last year's meeting, CSU Pueblo benefitted from a five blocks per set average and eight aces in the sweep.

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. 7 with a 15-4 record, followed by Colorado Mesa at No. 11 with a 19-2 record. Regis University remained at No. 12 with a 15-4 record.

Fort Lewis ranks fifth in the conference in opponent-hitting percentage (.187) and digs per set (14.82). Sophomore Ella Butler ranks second in the league with .50 aces per set. Junior Natalia Lambos is averaging 9.60 assists per set to rank fifth in the conference. Junior Alexis Hobie ranks sixth in the league at 3.31 kills per set. Junior Sarah Wilkey is fifth in the conference with 3.94 digs per set.

Inside the Numbers
The Skyhawks average 12.5 kills per set on an efficiency of .186 this season. Serving has been a highlight for Fort Lewis with four double-digit ace matches. The Skyhawks rank fourth in the conference with 1.74 aces per set. Boasting a deep lineup, Fort Lewis has eight players averaging at least one kill per set and five who average two or more. Hobie is leading the way with 3.31 per set, followed by JJ Curry's 2.48. Lambos is averaging a career-best 9.60 assists per set to go along with 2.13 digs per set. Wilkey leads the way on defense with 3.94 digs per set. Butler leads the team with .96 blocks per set, followed by freshman Jordyn Romano's .73 per set average.

Swenson's Senior Day
Senior Chay Swenson will be the lone Skyhawk honored on Saturday's Senior Day. Swenson, an outside hitter from Oregon, has been the ultimate teammate throughout her Fort Lewis career. After suffering a season-ending injury early in her junior campaign, she has emerged as a key offensive weapon in this her final season. Swenson has a pair of double-digit kill matches and a double-double (11 kills, 10 digs) in RMAC play. She has played in 104 career sets with 235 kills, 125 digs, and 17 aces.

Listen to Swenson and teammate Sarah Wilkey talk Skyhawks volleyball HERE on the Talon Talk Podcast.

Up Next
Fort Lewis will wrap up the regular season on the road next week when the team takes on Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver. Friday's match against Mines will begin at 7:00 p.m. while Saturday's regular season finale will feature a 4:00 p.m. first serve.
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