ALAMOSA, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College volleyball team struggled to find its offensive rhythm on Saturday afternoon, falling in straight sets (20-25, 14-25, 16-25) to Adams State University inside Plachy Hall.
The loss moved Fort Lewis to 8-6 overall, while Adams State improved to 8-8. The Skyhawks finished the afternoon with 26 kills and a .036 hitting percentage compared to 45 kills and a .273 clip for the Grizzlies. Adams State also held advantages in digs (75-56) and blocks (9-6), while both sides recorded three service aces.
Senior Alina Nunez paced the Skyhawks with six kills while adding 16 digs and a match-high two service aces. Sophomores Caroline Munson and Sydney Vogel followed with five kills apiece, while senior Jordan DeJesus and sophomore Ellie Ames each chipped in four. DeJesus, Ames and Munson each contributed three block assists.
Sophomore libero Alyx Daugherty led Fort Lewis defensively with 18 digs, followed by Nunez's 16. Sophomore Arianna Reyna handed out 13 assists and added six digs, while senior Addie Garn finished with eight assists.
Set One | Adams State 25, Fort Lewis 20
The opening set remained tight early with the teams playing to an 8-8 tie. Nunez delivered an ace to knot the score at 10 before Adams State began to create separation. The Grizzlies pushed their advantage to 15-11 and later 23-17. Fort Lewis made a late push behind a kill from Ames and a block by DeJesus and Munson, cutting the deficit to 23-20, but Adams State closed out the final two points. The Grizzlies hit .406 in the frame with 16 kills compared to 11 kills on .108 hitting for the Skyhawks.
Set Two | Adams State 25, Fort Lewis 14
Fort Lewis erased an early deficit and briefly took an 11-10 lead after a Nunez ace and a DeJesus kill. The teams remained even through 14-14 before Adams State seized control, scoring the final 11 points of the set. The Skyhawks were held to eight kills with eight errors in the frame, while the Grizzlies recorded 14 kills and hit .175.
Set Three | Adams State 25, Fort Lewis 16
The Skyhawks produced their best start of the afternoon in the third, using a Reyna ace, a block from Ames and Nunez, and a Nunez kill to take a 5-2 lead. Fort Lewis remained in front at 9-7 before Adams State responded, eventually breaking a 10-10 tie with a 5-0 run. The Grizzlies stretched the lead to 19-11 and maintained control from there, closing the match on a Rowan Tribelhorn kill.
Adams State was led by Tribelhorn, who put down a match-high 11 kills without an error on 16 swings for a .688 hitting percentage. Katie Bauer added nine kills on .500 hitting, while Ashlyn Jones collected a match-high 27 digs.
Up Next
Fort Lewis returns home next week to continue its schedule inside Whalen Gymnasium.
