SAN ANGELO, Texas – Skyhawks volleyball struggled on opening day at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational, dropping a pair of three-set matches to Lone Star Conference opponents.
Match One: UT Permian Basin 3, Fort Lewis 0
Fort Lewis struggled offensively, hitting just .074 compared to a .304 mark for UTPB. The Falcons also found success at the net, limiting the Skyhawks to just two blocks in the match.
Senior Jordan DeJesus led the team with 11 kills (.172), followed by sophomore Caroline Munson with five. Sophomore Alyx Daugherty added 13 digs, while junior Emery Pomroy and DeJesus chipped in seven apiece. Sophomore Arianna Reyna dished out 13 assists, and senior Addie Garn added 10.
After losing a challenge on the opening point of the season, Fort Lewis chipped away at an early deficit and pulled even at 6-6 behind back-to-back blocks from Munson. The Skyhawks used a scoring run to take the lead before surrendering four straight points to the Falcons for an 11-9 score. Attacking errors continued to plague Fort Lewis, with a roll shot into the block sending the teams to the media break at 15-11. UTPB extended its advantage with another four-point burst, forcing a Skyhawks timeout at 19-12. Fort Lewis showed life late with kills from DeJesus and Ames but ultimately dropped the opener, 25-19.
The second set featured three straight UTPB aces that put Fort Lewis in an early hole. Errors continued to pile up for the blue and gold, leading to a comfortable 9-3 advantage for the Falcons. Midway through the set, Munson and Vogel collected kills to make it 17-7. Garn dropped in an ace moments later to extend the Skyhawks' scoring run to five points and bring Fort Lewis into double digits. The Falcons responded with strong defense, winning several long rallies to carry a 22-13 edge. DeJesus added a kill late, but a double block on the pin ended the second set at 25-14.
The Skyhawks saw an early lead slip away in the third set as errors gave the Falcons a 6-3 edge. Fort Lewis chipped away and tied the score twice behind kills from Nunez and DeJesus. UTPB began to pull away, carrying a 15-11 lead into the media break before going on a 4-1 run to make it 19-12. Nunez earned a kill down the line following a solid reception by Sarah Stoney, but a service error gave UTPB an immediate side out. The Skyhawks later forced a timeout behind kills from Munson and Vogel, trimming the deficit to 21-18. Despite the late push, the Falcons closed out the set with a pair of kills from the pin for a 25-18 final.
Match Two: #21 Angelo State 3, Fort Lewis 0
Angelo State hit at a .330 clip compared to a .087 mark for Fort Lewis, doubling up the Skyhawks with 48 kills. Daugherty was the highlight of the night with 18 digs to go along with five assists and three aces.
Fort Lewis stayed within striking distance of Angelo State in the first set, including an extended rally that ended with a Dembickie kill to make it 7-6. Despite the close play early, the Belles found success with their block to push the lead to six points. The Skyhawks scored a pair out of the media break to make it 15-10, highlighted by a well-placed tip from Nunez. Fort Lewis continued to battle and trimmed the deficit to four after Ames sent back an attempt on the pin. Angelo State remained poised, finding points across the front row to extend its advantage to 21-14. The Skyhawks tacked on several points late, but the deficit proved too much to overcome in a 25-19 loss.
Daugherty's defense, complemented by smart swings from Nunez, kept the Skyhawks close early in the second set, with Angelo State holding an 8-6 edge. The Belles began to pull away with a run that was momentarily stalled by a dump from Reyna. Another surge by the home team led to a Fort Lewis timeout with the score at 18-10, and Angelo State maintained control from there to take the set, 25-12.
The early stages of the third set were close once again after another quality swing from Nunez found the deep corner to make it 6-4. Fort Lewis pulled within one at 7-6, but a surge by the Belles forced a timeout at 11-7. Angelo State continued to apply pressure from the service line, using a pair of aces to build its advantage before an eventual error made it 17-9. Errors began piling up for the Skyhawks as the Belles extended their lead to 21-11. Daugherty sparked a late run from the service line with two aces, while an overpass opportunity trimmed the deficit to six before an Angelo State side out. The Belles thwarted the comeback effort with a block to close out the match.
Up Next
Fort Lewis plays its final two matches of the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational tomorrow morning with back-to-back contests. The Skyhawks begin the day at 8:00 a.m. against East Central University before wrapping up the weekend at 10:00 a.m. versus MSU Moorhead.
