CSU Pueblo CSU-P 12-12,9-3 RMAC

Fort Lewis FLC 13-11,6-6 RMAC

CSU Pueblo CSU-P

12-12,9-3 RMAC

Final

Nov. 04, 2023

Fort Lewis FLC

13-11,6-6 RMAC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
CSU Pueblo CSU-P	26	25	26	14	17	(2)
Fort Lewis FLC	24	15	28	25	19	(3)

Summary
Box Score

Kaitlyn Silva

Ella Bulter (20) put away an overpass kill to earn her team the thrilling five set win over CSUP

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 11/4/2023 7:08:00 PM | Angela Roberts, Assistant AD-Communications

Volleyball earns fourth straight win in dramatic reverse sweep of CSU Pueblo

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College volleyball team left a lasting impression in the minds of the home crowd on Saturday evening, earning a historic reverse sweep win over CSU Pueblo—the fifth set ending in a 19-17 score.

"I could not have asked for the team to be more prepared for a fight than they were tonight. It was a game that made history and will be one that the players talk about long after graduation," said head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite. "It was incredible to watch the whole team's effort while we chose to keep battling. I'm proud of us for pulling off the reverse sweep against a tough opponent, and to win in this way made senior night even more special."

The Skyhawks had not stolen a set from the ThunderWolves since 2018 but benefitted from a relentless pursuit both offensively and defensively to secure the win. Fort Lewis improves to 13-11 on the year and pulls even in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play while CSU Pueblo dropped to 12-12 overall and 9-3 in league play.

Despite being out blocked in the match, the Skyhawks held advantages in digs (78-76), assists (65-57), aces (10-8) and kills (71-63). Fort Lewis hit .225 on the night.

Junior Alexis Hobie was a huge piece of the puzzle, earning a career-high with 26 kills (.350) and 30.5 points on the night. Hobie secured her fourth double-double of the year with 15 digs to rank second on the team. Senior Chay Swenson, the lone senior honored prior to the match, followed with a season-high 17 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Ella Butler followed with 13 kills (.375) and notably ended the match with seven digs.

Junior setter Natalia Lambos, the reigning RMAC Setter of the Week, established a new career high with 56 assists to go along with seven digs. Junior Sarah Wilkey led the team with 21 digs, her fifth 20-plus dig outing of the year and provided scrappy blocking coverage which proved to be crucial in the win.

In set one, Swenson got the Skyhawks started with a pair of aces, but the Pack regrouped to eventually knot it up at eight-all. The teams strung together scoring runs to tie things up again, but CSU Pueblo went on to enjoy a 4-0 run for a 16-12 lead. Hobie earned back-to-back kills to slow the momentum, but CSU Pueblo tallied a service ace and was the first team to 20 points. Fort Lewis fought back with kills from freshman Alina Nunez and Swenson to tie it at 21-21, and the score became tied on three more occasions. The Pack eventually strung together two points to take the opener 26-24.

CSU Pueblo carried the momentum into set two and jumped ahead 6-0 before Hobie could put away a kill. The Pack held on to a sizable lead through the midway point, going ahead 17-9 thanks to a service ace. Fort Lewis scored three straight thanks to stout serving, but the visitors scored kills from both pins to run away with a 25-15 victory.

The teams were neck and neck in the third set with the score tying up seven times early. The Skyhawks found some separation thanks to a 5-0 run to take a 14-9 lead. The run was fueled by Swenson at the service line, and freshman Jordyn Romano was credited with two kills. The Pack regrouped after a substitution and rode a 9-1 scoring run to go ahead 18-15. The Skyhawks answered back thanks to kills from Butler to knot it up at 19-all. It was back and forth from there, and the Pack found match point with a service ace. An error extended the set, and late kills from senior JJ Curry and Hobie ended it in a 28-26 score.

In set four, Fort Lewis saw kills from Swenson and Butler to jump ahead 7-3. Another scoring run would extend the lead to 13-7, this run featuring a pair of aces by Wilkey. Swenson ripped another kill to give her team a 20-12 advantage. The Skyhawks ended the set on a 5-0 run thanks to five straight kills off the hand of Swenson to send the match to a decisive fifth set. Fort Lewis hit a blistering .421 in the fourth set compared to a .135 clip for CSU Pueblo.

Set five was a wild one, and it began with Fort Lewis ahead 5-2 off a Hobie ace. The Pack clawed their way back to tie the score at 7-7 with their defense at the net. The score to knot up four more times before a run had the Skyhawks ahead 13-11. Hobie earned her fourth ace of the match during the run, using the tape to her advantage to trickle one onto the side of the Pack. CSU Pueblo came back to tie things at 13-13 before Lambos swung away on an overpass to give her team match point. The Pack responded with a pair of points to see their own set point, and the visitors looked to have claimed the match on a right-side kill. Coach Tarnauskaite quickly went to the challenge card, and a net violation was detected early in the match to make it 15-15. The teams knotted up at 16 and 17-all before Hobie and Butler combined for kills to end it in a 19-17 score.

Up Next
Fort Lewis (13-11, 6-6 RMAC) will close out 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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