Mesa beats up on CU-Colorado Springs 3-0

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs lost a crucial Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference match to the Mesa State Mavericks Saturday evening in the Lions^' Den. The Mavericks swept CU-Colorado Springs 3-0 (30-28, 30-24, 30-22).

The loss, in addition to a 3-0 Adams State win at Fort Lewis, now leaves the Mountain Lions a game behind the Grizzles for RMAC^'s the eight and final playoffs spot

Jill Wrenn paced the Mountain Lions offense with 11 kills, hitting .308. Andrea Weedman also had 11 kills to go along with her seven digs.

Nikki Green led the Mavericks with 16 kills while Drew Choules pitched in 12.

Kelley Angel and Kelly Olson each had six block assists as the Mountain Lions had nine total team blocks. The impressive defensive effort was something that definitely pleased CU-Colorado Springs coach Jessica Wood.

"That^'s a wonderful thing," said Wood. "The girls really wanted the ball."

Mesa State sprinted out to a large lead in Game 1, leading 17-10 before the Mountain Lions rallied back to make it interesting. CU-Colorado Springs trimmed the lead to 29-28 on a Caroline Ottino kill, but lost a point later on a Stacey Vogel kill.

Games 2 and 3 both went back-and-fourth early before the Mavericks eventually pulled away for comfortable wins.

With the win, Mesa State clinched the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference^'s West Division. The Mavericks (19-8, 13-4) will be the No. 2 seeded team in the upcoming RMAC Tournament. The win also gave the Mavericks a sweep of season series after beating CU-Colorado Springs 3-0 Sept. 11 in Grand Junction.

Next up for the Mountain Lions is Colorado State-Pueblo on Tuesday night in Pueblo. The Thunderwolves beat the Mountain Lions 3-1 earlier in the season.

"That^'s always a huge match. Because we are so close (geographically), it^'s a big rivalry," said Wood. "The girls love playing Pueblo."