DURANGO, Colo. – Despite jumping out to a commanding two-set advantage, the Fort Lewis College volleyball team could not hold off a surging Colorado Christian University squad, falling in five sets (25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 16-25, 10-15) on Saturday afternoon inside Whalen Gymnasium.
The Skyhawks dropped to 12-10 overall while remaining 5-5 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The Cougars improved to 11-9 overall and remained 6-4 in league action, as the RMAC pod match did not count toward conference standings.
Senior Alina Nunez led the Fort Lewis offense with a match-high 22 kills on a .255 hitting percentage, adding nine digs and a block assist. Fellow senior Jordan DeJesus provided an efficient offensive spark, putting down 12 kills on 28 swings with just three errors for a .321 hitting percentage.
Freshman Sydney Vogel contributed nine kills and 12 digs, while sophomore Caroline Munson added six kills and three block assists. Junior setter Addie Garn directed the offense with 44 assists and nine digs, while sophomore libero Alyx Daugherty anchored the back row with a team-high 20 digs and three service aces. Sophomore Cambria Freymuth added 11 digs.
Colorado Christian finished with a .268 hitting percentage and 72 kills compared to Fort Lewis' .161 clip and 58 kills. The Cougars also held a 91-77 advantage in digs and narrowly edged the Skyhawks in blocks, 7-6.
Set One – Fort Lewis 25, Colorado Christian 23
The opening frame featured a back-and-forth battle as Colorado Christian established an early 11-6 advantage. Fort Lewis responded behind its offensive leaders, gradually chipping away at the deficit before drawing even at 17-17.
The Skyhawks took their first lead of the late stages at 18-17 following a kill from Munson and continued to trade points with the Cougars down the stretch.
With the score tied at 22-22, senior Ellie Ames delivered a timely service ace to put Fort Lewis in front. After Colorado Christian evened the score once more, Vogel hammered home a kill to give the Skyhawks set point. A Cougar attack error sealed the 25-23 victory.
Set Two – Fort Lewis 25, Colorado Christian 22
Fort Lewis carried its momentum into the second frame, overcoming an early deficit and building an 18-14 advantage behind a balanced offensive effort.
Nunez continued to lead the attack, while DeJesus provided an immediate impact with timely kills. The Skyhawks stretched their lead to 23-17 before Colorado Christian mounted a late rally, scoring five of the next six points to pull within 24-22.
DeJesus put an end to the comeback attempt with a kill off an assist from Garn, sending Fort Lewis into the intermission with a 2-0 advantage.
The Skyhawks posted 15 kills on a .217 hitting percentage in the set while limiting the Cougars to a .140 clip.
Set Three – Colorado Christian 25, Fort Lewis 17
The Cougars responded out of the break with their most efficient offensive performance to that point, recording 20 kills on a .381 hitting percentage.
Fort Lewis remained within striking distance early, using a pair of kills from Nunez to briefly take an 11-10 lead. Colorado Christian answered with a 7-2 run to establish an 18-13 advantage.
The Skyhawks were unable to close the gap as the Cougars claimed eight of the final 12 points to force a fourth set.
Set Four – Colorado Christian 25, Fort Lewis 16
Colorado Christian continued to find its rhythm offensively, hitting .393 with 15 kills while limiting Fort Lewis to a .031 hitting percentage.
The Skyhawks held an early 5-4 advantage before the Cougars rattled off eight of the next 11 points to move in front 12-8.
Fort Lewis struggled to string together consecutive points as Colorado Christian steadily extended its advantage. The Cougars eventually closed out the frame, 25-16, to force a decisive fifth set.
Set Five – Colorado Christian 15, Fort Lewis 10
With the match on the line, Colorado Christian maintained its offensive momentum, producing 12 kills on a match-best .476 hitting percentage in the deciding frame.
Fort Lewis countered with seven kills on a .333 clip, but the Cougars' offensive efficiency proved to be the difference as they completed the reverse sweep with a 15-10 victory.
Up Next
Fort Lewis will return to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition following the conclusion of pod play. For upcoming matches and additional information, visit goskyhawks.com.
