DURANGO, Colo. – The sixth-seeded Fort Lewis College volleyball team is headed to Grand Junction, Colo., for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinal matchup against No. 3-seeded Colorado Mesa University on Tuesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. inside Brownson Arena. The Skyhawks enter the postseason riding the momentum of consecutive five-set victories over Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo, while the Mavericks will look to capitalize on their home-court advantage.

Fort Lewis secured its postseason berth during the final weekend of the regular season. Entering Saturday's matchup against CSU Pueblo, the Skyhawks needed a victory to advance to the RMAC Tournament, as a loss would have sent the ThunderWolves to the postseason instead. Fort Lewis prevailed in five sets, and results elsewhere around the conference elevated the Skyhawks to the No. 6 seed.

The Skyhawks are making their second consecutive RMAC Tournament appearance and their second under head coach Justin Wong, improving from the No. 7 seed in 2025 to the No. 6 seed in 2026.

Last Time Out

Fort Lewis closed the regular season with a pair of five-set victories over Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo, earning its second consecutive appearance in the RMAC Tournament.

Senior outside hitter Alina Nunez led the Skyhawks offensively with 40 kills and 36 digs across the two matches, averaging 4.00 kills and 3.60 digs per set. Nunez recorded consecutive double-doubles, including 25 kills and 22 digs against Colorado Christian before adding 15 kills and 14 digs against CSU Pueblo.

Junior setter Addie Garn directed the offense with 100 assists and 21 digs over the weekend, averaging 10.00 assists per set. Garn recorded 53 assists and 13 digs against Colorado Christian before distributing 47 assists in the regular-season finale.

Sophomore defensive specialist Alyx Daugherty anchored the back row with 45 digs across 10 sets, averaging 4.50 digs per set. Daugherty collected 20 digs against Colorado Christian and followed with 25 digs against CSU Pueblo.

Last Time We Met

The Skyhawks and Mavericks last met on October 3 in Grand Junction, where Colorado Mesa earned a 3-1 victory (25-16, 25-18, 21-25, 25-16).

Fort Lewis battled back to claim the third set, hitting .364 with 15 kills to extend the match. However, the Mavericks closed out the contest in the fourth set to secure the conference victory.

Jordan DeJesus led the Skyhawks with 16 kills, followed by Nunez with 15 kills and 12 digs. Daugherty paced the defense with 20 digs, while Garn distributed 29 assists.

Colorado Mesa was led by Ashlee Macias, who totaled 19 kills and 13 digs. Addie Ritterbush followed with 11 kills, while Molly Whalen added 10. Ashlyn Tafoya recorded 26 assists, and Maya Grant collected 17 digs.

The Mavericks held advantages in kills (55-46), digs (68-56), and blocks (11-2), finishing with a .311 hitting percentage compared to .171 for Fort Lewis.

The upcoming quarterfinal will mark the second meeting between the two programs this season, with the Skyhawks looking to reverse the regular-season result.

Scouting (RV) Colorado Mesa

Colorado Mesa enters the RMAC Tournament with a 21-5 overall record and a 12-2 mark in conference play, earning the No. 3 seed. The Mavericks finished tied with Colorado School of Mines in the conference standings but will enter the postseason as the third seed.

The Mavericks have established themselves as one of the nation's most efficient offensive teams, hitting .288 on the season, a mark that ranks seventh nationally in NCAA Division II. Colorado Mesa averages 13.54 kills, 12.61 assists, and 1.88 service aces per set while holding opponents to a .166 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Mavericks average 14.14 digs and 2.01 blocks per set.

Colorado Mesa has been particularly effective at home, posting an 11-1 record inside Brownson Arena while hitting .317 and limiting opponents to a .124 attack percentage.

Junior outside hitter Ashlee Macias leads the Mavericks with 268 kills, averaging 3.05 kills per set, and has added 36 service aces. Sophomore middle blocker Addie Ritterbush has been one of the team's most efficient attackers, recording 169 kills while hitting .367.

The Mavericks use a balanced setting attack led by sophomore Ashlyn Tafoya, who has distributed 506 assists, averaging 5.69 per set. Junior middle blocker Jaycee Windorski anchors the front row with 86 total blocks, averaging 1.01 per set, while freshman libero Maya Grant leads the back row with 332 digs, averaging 3.69 per set.

By the Numbers

Fort Lewis enters the postseason averaging 12.66 kills, 11.67 assists, and 16.35 digs per set while hitting .192 as a team.

Nunez leads the Skyhawks with 355 kills, averaging 3.51 per set. Caroline Munson has been one of the team's most efficient attackers, hitting .300 with 209 kills, while Jordan DeJesus has contributed 236 kills.

Garn leads the offense with 721 assists, averaging 7.14 per set. Daugherty has been a consistent presence defensively, totaling 532 digs and averaging 5.27 per set, a mark that ranks among the top 20 nationally in NCAA Division II.

Fort Lewis holds an advantage over Colorado Mesa in digs per set (16.35-14.14), while the Mavericks lead in kills per set (13.54-12.66), hitting percentage (.288-.192), and blocks per set (2.01-1.24).

Postseason History

Fort Lewis is making its second consecutive appearance in the RMAC Tournament after earning the No. 7 seed in 2025. The Skyhawks improved their postseason positioning to No. 6 this season, marking their highest tournament seed in recent years. Fort Lewis previously earned the No. 4 seed in the 2008 conference tournament.

In 2008, Fort Lewis finished 18-10 overall and 13-6 in conference play before falling to fifth-seeded Regis in the RMAC Tournament Quarterfinals.

Last season, the Skyhawks returned to the postseason as the No. 7 seed, traveling to second-seeded UCCS for the quarterfinals. Fort Lewis fell in four sets (21-25, 12-25, 25-18, 18-25), finishing the campaign with a 14-12 overall record and an 8-6 mark in conference play.

The 2026 tournament marks the second consecutive postseason appearance under head coach Justin Wong, who is in his second year leading the program.

RMAC Tournament Outlook

The 2026 RMAC Volleyball Tournament features the top eight teams in the conference standings, with quarterfinal matches hosted by the four highest seeds on Tuesday, November 10.

The quarterfinal matchups are:

• No. 1 MSU Denver vs. No. 8 Adams State

• No. 2 Colorado School of Mines vs. No. 7 Colorado Christian

• No. 3 Colorado Mesa vs. No. 6 Fort Lewis

• No. 4 UCCS vs. No. 5 South Dakota Mines

The four quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinals, with the highest remaining seed hosting the final two rounds of the tournament. The championship winner will earn the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament.

Up Next

The sixth-seeded Skyhawks will face No. 3 Colorado Mesa on Tuesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. inside Brownson Arena in Grand Junction, Colo. The winner will advance to the RMAC Tournament Semifinals. Fans can follow the action through live statistics and the RMAC Network.