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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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Emery Pomroy
Kaitlyn Silva
Freshman libero Emery Pomroy is leading the team with 3.61 digs per set this season

Volleyball returns to the road for two Regional Pod matches

10/3/2024 2:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – After an energetic weekend inside Whalen Gymnasium, the Fort Lewis College volleyball team will continue its road schedule with Regional Pod matches against Adams State University and New Mexico Highlands this week.

The Regional Pod game results do not count toward Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference records and the matchups are selected based on geographical factors.

 Last Time Out
The Skyhawks played a pair of three set matches at home last week, first against Colorado Christian University where they were swept. Fort Lewis was playing a unique lineup due to both middle blockers (Ivy Schoditsch and Ella Butler) sitting out due to injury. The thin roster led to multiple players rotating through positions in the front row, including time at middle from Alexis Hobie, Averie Dembickie, and JJ Curry.

In the loss to the Cougars, the Skyhawks were limited to hitting just .096 on the night. The Cougars clocked a .270 efficiency. Colorado Christian was also elite from the service line and dropped in six aces.
Fort Lewis was led by sophomore Jordan DeJesus who earned 10 kills, followed by senior Alexis Hobie's eight-kill outing. Fifth-year JJ Curry was the most efficient option and totaled five kills on 12 swings (.250). Senior Natalia Lambos racked up 27 assists to go along with five digs. Sophomore Alina Nunez and freshman Emery Pomroy tied for the team lead with seven digs apiece.

In the three-set win over Chadron State the following night, Fort Lewis hit .211 for the match, just shy of a season-best, while Chadron State had a .203 efficiency. The teams recorded five blocks and 53 digs, and the Skyhawks had the advantage at the service line with eight aces.

DeJesus led all players with her 16 kills, followed by Hobie who had 12 kills while playing in the middle and on the pins. Sophomore Alina Nunez registered 10 kills on a season-high .421 efficiency. Lambos picked up her fifth double-double of the season with 38 assists and 11 digs while Pomroy led the squad at 12 digs.

Scouting Adams State
The Grizzlies are 3-10 overall and 1-3 in conference play following a five-set win over Black Hills State last week. The team has played three, five-set matches to begin conference play. Adams State was 8-18 last season, 4-10 in conference play, and 3-6 in Plachy Hall. In the RMAC statistical rankings, the Grizzlies are 12th in hitting percentage (.143), 11th in blocks (1.56), 13th in aces (0.98), and fifth in digs (16.36).

Cindy Garcia is leading the team with 3.46 kills per set but has been limited to just eight matches. She played in the team's loss to South Dakota Mines on Friday and collected 14 kills. Anna Huggins follows with 3.30 kills per set and leads the team with 492 attempts. There have been four setters used throughout the season, but Remi Vargas has been the most consistent and averages 4.45 assists per set. Sierra Leone Sanchez is the top defender at 3.20 digs per set.

Fort Lewis trails the series history that dates back to 1997 by a 23-29 margin. Despite trailing, the Skyhawks have won the last three matches and are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings. Fort Lewis stole 3-1 and 3-2 wins in 2023.

Scouting New Mexico Highlands
The Cowgirls are 2-9 overall and 1-3 in the conference. NMHU has lost three in a row after opening RMAC play with a five-set win over Adams State. In 2023, the Cowgirls were 3-25 overall and 1-13 in conference play. In the RMAC statistical rankings, NMHU is 15th in hitting percentage (.103), 15th in assists (8.25), 13th in blocks (1.50), and 13th in digs (13.78).

Angelina Burton is leading the team with 2.28 kills per set, followed by four players who average over one per set. Three setters have seen time this season, led by Abby Carlsen who is averaging 4.23 assists per set. Sophia Hendricks-Montes leads all players with 4.65 digs per set but has played roughly 50% of the total sets and has not seen the court since September 13.  Jada Lawson is the top blocker with 35 total stuffs (.88/set).

Fort Lewis leads the all-time series 31-24 and has won four straight. The Skyhawks are 15-11 when facing the Cowgirls in Las Vegas, N.M. Fort Lewis dropped just one set against NMHU last season in the home and away series.

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 while Colorado Mesa dropped one spot to No. 18. After a slow start to the season, Regis has dropped out of the poll and is receiving votes.

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 (.137), 8th in assists (11.43), 8th in kills (12.30), 9th in blocks (1.63), 10th in digs (14.98), and 12th in opponent hitting percentage (.221).

Despite running a two-setter offense through many sets in the last two weeks, Lambos continues to rank highly in the league in assists per set, sitting 7th at 8.15. Pomroy leads the Skyhawks in digs per set and ranks 11th in the conference at 3.70. Butler ranks 10th in aces per set, .42, after dropping in five aces against CMU last week.

Up Next
Fort Lewis remains on the road next week when it makes the long trek to South Dakota for a pair of matches. Friday will feature a 6:00 p.m. match against Black Hills State in Spearfish, followed by a 6:00 p.m. first serve against South Dakota Mines on Saturday in Rapid City.
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