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Natalia Lambos
Kaitlyn Silva

Skyhawks return to RMAC play with matches in South Dakota

10/10/2024 9:27:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – Skyhawks volleyball will take their three-match winning streak back on the road this week with a long trek to South Dakota where they will face Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines.

Last Time Out
Fort Lewis earned wins over Adams State (3-2) and New Mexico Highlands (3-1) in last week's Regional Pod. In the win over the Grizzlies, fifth-year Lauren Shea led the team with 16 kills (.367) to go along with 14 digs. Sophomore Jordan DeJesus followed with 15 kills while senior Alexis Hobie and Ella Butler each earned 14 kills. Senior Natalia Lambos was one shy of tying a career-high with 57 assists and added 15 digs to her stat line. The freshman duo of Maddy Shumway and Emery Pomroy combined for 24 digs, and sophomore Alina Nunez came away with 10.

The following evening against the Cowgirls, the Skyhawks hit .208 on the match compared to a .108 efficiency for the Cowgirls. Fort Lewis was efficient from the service line with seven aces versus just one for NMHU. Fort Lewis outplayed NMHU in the back row with 61 digs, but the Cowgirls doubled the Skyhawks up at the net with 11 blocks. Sophomore Alina Nunez led the team with a double-double, recording 12 kills and 14 digs. Senior Alexis Hobie followed with 12 kills and three blocks. Three additional players had double-digit digs, including freshman Emery Pomroy who came away with 14. Senior setter Natalia Lambos dished out 34 assists in the win.

Scouting Black Hills State
The Yellow Jackets are 4-10 overall and 0-4 in conference play. BHSU is riding a seven-match losing streak and sits at 1-7 when playing in the Donald E. Young Center. Last week, the Yellow Jackets surrendered a 3-0 loss to South Dakota Mines and a 3-1 loss to Chadron State. BHSU is hitting .173 as a team while allowing a.219 clip from their opponents. They average 1.6 aces per set, 1.5 blocks per set, and 17.5 digs per set.

Brooke Miller leads the squad with 3.38 kills per set, followed by Abigail Renner who puts away 2.75 per set. Both players have over 400 attempts, followed by three players with at least 200 attempts. The team's two-setter offense runs through Sydnie Tuioti-Mariner and Elena Atkinson. The pair combine for just under 11 assists per set. Ellie Thomas holds down the back row with 4.66 digs per set, followed by Miller at 3.33 per set. Randi Wellhoefer is the leading blocker with 28 block assists at 10 solo stuffs for a .75 blocks per set average.

Fort Lewis leads the all-time series 8-4 and has won the last three matches. The Skyhawks are 3-2 when playing in Spearfish. Fort Lewis earned a decisive sweep over BHSU in last year's meeting, hitting .348 and holding the visitors to a .031 efficiency.

Scouting South Dakota Mines
The Hardrockers are 8-6 on the year and 3-1 in conference play. They suffered a five-set loss to Chadron State last Tuesday but rebounded with a sweep of Black Hills State on Thursday. As a team, South Dakota Mines is hitting .209 and holding the opposition to a .198 clip. They come away with 18.1 digs per set, 1.3 aces per set, and 1.7 blocks per set.

Individually, Alessandra Meoni leads the team with 4.02 kills per set while hitting .314 on the opposite pin. Her kills per set average ranks second in the RMAC while her efficiency is ninth. Jenna Curtis follows with 3.10 kills per set, and two additional players are putting away more than two kills per set. The offense runs through Kiley Metzger who averages 9.42 assists per set to rank fourth in the RMAC. The Hardrockers also boast one of the league's top liberos in Hannah Benes. The junior is fifth in the conference in digs per set (4.62) and is even more prolific on serve receive where she has just five errors in 252 chances (.980).

Fort Lewis is 6-4 in the all-time series and split the home and away series last season. The Skyhawks fell in four sets at home before earning a four-set win over South Dakota Mines on the road in late October. Fort Lewis is 3-3 on the road against the Hardrockers.

Around the RMAC
The conference has two teams ranked in the AVCA/TERAFLEX DII Poll and one program receiving votes. MSU Denver maintained its No. 2 position and is now receiving one first place vote. Colorado Mesa has moved up two spots to No. 16 with an 11-3 record.

MSU Denver and CSU Pueblo take up the top two spots in the conference ranks with 4-0 marks, followed by four teams that have 3-1 conference records. Fort Lewis is one of four teams that has one win in league play. The Skyhawks rank 14th in hitting percentage (.146), 7th in assists (11.35), 8th in kills (12.39), 12th in blocks (1.53), 10th in digs (14.90), and 9th in aces (1.33).

Natalia Lambos ranks 6th in the conference ranks with 8.86 assists per set. Emery Pomroy leads the Skyhawks in digs per set and ranks 11th in the conference at 3.43. Ella Butler ranks 8th in aces per set at .39.

Up Next
Fort Lewis returns home for a standalone Tuesday match against Western Colorado University next week. The Skyhawks will face the Mountaineers for a 6:00 p.m. first serve. The match will be the annual Pink Game, presented by CommonSpirit. Fort Lewis will also hold its Academic Recognition Night where all student-athletes with a 3.3 GPA or higher in the Spring 2024 semester are invited to the floor for recognition between sets.
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