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Natalia Lambos
Hayden Mangan, Fort Lewis Athletic Communications

Volleyball rides momentum into Power Pod week

10/31/2024 10:00:00 AM

By: Angela Roberts, Associate AD-Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – After a home stretch ending in key conference victories, the Fort Lewis College volleyball team will head into its final "Pod" week with nonconference matches versus Adams State and UCCS.

The Skyhawks put themselves back into position for a potential berth to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament after winning two of three matches last week. Fort Lewis sits ninth in the league—the top eight teams make the tournament—with three conference matches remaining. They are 5-6 in league play, coming in behind Westminster (5-5) who has four RMAC matches remaining on the schedule.

Last Time Out
Three home games resulted in two wins for Fort Lewis last week. In Friday's win over Regis, the first over the Rangers since 2008, Skyhawks hit for a season-high efficiency of .311—the best clip since a .348 mark in a sweep of Black Hills State last season. Fort Lewis hit an even .500 in the final set to seal the victory. Sophomore Alina Nunez led the team offensively with her 22 kills while hitting .447, followed by sophomore Jordan DeJesus who played the final two sets and put away 12 kills while hitting .500. Junior Ella Butler added 11 kills (.318) to go along with four blocks. Senior Natalia Lambos coordinated a dynamic offense and totaled 55 assists.

Fort Lewis capped off the Homecoming week with a reverse sweep of UCCS on Saturday. Coordinating the offense and matching a career-high in assists was senior Natalia Lambos with 58 assists and 12 digs. Junior Ella Butler tied for the team lead with 15 kills on a .323 efficiency, and sophomore Jordan DeJesus matched her with 15 kills. The team's most productive outlet was redshirt freshman Averie Dembickie who secured a career-high 13 kills on 20 swings (.550). Sophomore Alina Nunez earned 13 kills to go along with a team-high 17 digs. Fifth-year Lauren Shea also supplied a double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs. Freshman libero Emery Pomroy came away with 14 digs.

Lambos Named RMAC Setter of the Week
Senior Natalia Lambos earned her fourth career Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Setter of the Week honor following a key homestand that featured a pair of wins.

The week seven honor for Lambos comes after the senior led Fort Lewis to a four-set win over Regis, the first over the Rangers since 2008, and a reverse sweep of UCCS on Saturday.

Lambos ranked second in the conference last week with 11.54 assists per set, bringing her season average to 9.56 assists per set and her in-conference assists per set average to 10.40 (fourth in RMAC). She dished out 58 assists versus UCCS to match a career-high and guide all five of her attackers to double-digit kills.

Scouting Adams State
Friday will be the third time Fort Lewis faces Adams State this season. The Skyhawks began this season's series with a 3-2 win in Alamosa before falling in a 3-1 final at home last week. The Grizzlies are 7-15 overall and 3-7 in conference play and need just one win to match last season's total.

As a team, the Grizzlies hit .169 compared to a .175 efficiency for their opponents. They average 15.6 digs and 1.8 blocks per set. Cindy Garcia leads the team with 3.87 kills per set, followed by Anna Huggins at 3.14 per set. Katie Bauer is the most efficient offensive player with a .295 hitting percentage in 264 chances. The statistics make it appear as though the Grizzlies have used four setters throughout the season, led by Remi Vargas at 4.99 assists per set. On defense, Keely-Shae Sapiga leads the way at 3.00 digs per set, followed by three players with at least two digs per set.

Scouting UCCS
The Mountain Lions are 9-11 overall and 4-6 in conference play after losing to Western Colorado and Fort Lewis last week. The team is 6-1 at home, where the Power Pod matches will be played this week, and 2-8 in road matches. UCCS is hitting .193 on the year compared to a .204 clip for their opponents. They average 15.6 digs and 1.9 blocks per set.

Payton Tompkins leads the team with 3.25 kills per set, followed by Emily Pruitt at 3.14 per set. The duo of Audrey Dowd and Maylen Mitrovich have handled setting duties, averaging 7.39 and 4.84 assists per set, respectively. On defense, Mackenzie Ransom is pacing the group at 3.90 digs per set. Defense at the net is highlighted by Avery Ahlers and Rylee Pitts who both have 58 blocks. The Mountain Lions boast a youthful roster with zero seniors and nine freshmen.

What the Heck is a "Power Pod"
This week, the Skyhawks will play in their aforementioned Power Pod on the campus of UCCS. These matches will not count toward their conference record. The Power Pod structure is in its second year after being passed by the league's coaches ahead of the 2023 season. The pods are determined based on the team's finishes the previous season in an effort to level the playing field in terms of teams facing statistically tougher opponents multiple times throughout the conference season. Now, those pod matches will, in theory, be played against programs on the same or similar level as one another and allow each RMAC team to face just once in the conference season.

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. 1 ranking and has 34 first-place votes. Colorado Mesa follows at No. 16, up one spot after sweeping last week.
MSU Denver (10-0 RMAC) and Colorado Mesa (9-1 RMAC) take up the top two spots in the conference ranks, followed by South Dakota Mines (7-2 RMAC). Fort Lewis (5-6 RMAC) is ranked ninth, just behind Westminster (5-5 RMAC) and Western Colorado (5-4 RMAC). The Skyhawks rank 13th in hitting percentage (.162), 6th in assists (11.73), 6th in kills (12.79), 13th in blocks (1.58), 9th in digs (14.92), and 10th in opponent hitting percentage (.212).

Lambos has shined in recent weeks, improving her decision-making and consistency to rank 5th in the conference with 9.56 assists per set. Pomroy leads the Skyhawks in digs per set and ranks 12th in the conference at 3.24. Freshman Maddy Shumway ranks 11th in aces per set (.35), followed by Butler in 12th (.34). DeJesus has emerged as a go-to attacker and now ranks 10th in the conference in kills per set (3.28).

Up Next
Fort Lewis (9-12, 5-6 RMAC) will play one match next week, a road contest against CSU Pueblo (12-8, 6-4 RMAC) on Saturday, November 9 at 6:00 p.m.

Fans may remember the five-set thriller versus the Pack last season in which the Skyhawks claimed a 19-17 fifth set. Overall, Fort Lewis trails the all-time series 22-26 with a 9-14 record on the road.
 
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