The University of Colorado at Colorado Spring kept its playoffs hopes alive with an impressive home win over the Western State Mountaineers Friday night at the Lions' Den.
Behind 36 assists and five aces from
Laura Meeter, who was playing her first collegiate game at the setter position, the Mountain Lions made quick work of Western State 3-0 (30-27, 30-24, 30-25).
Meeter, who was a setter at Colorado Springs Christian School last season, had played only libero and defensive specialist as a Mountain Lion before Friday's match. She replaced starter
Lindsey Hillegass, who did not play due to extenuating circumstances.
CU-Colorado Springs (12-13, 7-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) is now tied with Adams State for the eighth, and final, playoff spot with three conference matches remaining. Both teams lead Chadron State by one game. Adams State holds the tiebreaker advantage head-to-head against CU-Colorado Springs, while the Mountain Lions hold the advantage should there be a three-way tie.
"Beating Western is huge as far as our tournament chances are concerned," said Mountain Lions coach Jessica Wood.
The Mountain Lions had a season-high 13 aces and eight team blocks as they limited the Mountaineers to a lowly .114 hitting percentage
"We have been working hard on serving in practice, and I think that showed tonight," said Meeter. "We knew if we served tough it would take their offense out of the game."
Jill Wrenn led a balanced Mountain Lion attack with 10 kills.
Kelly Olson had seven kills, 11 digs and four blocks.
CU-Colorado Springs never trailed the entire match, and held comfortable leads at some point in all three games. The win broke a six-match losing streak and gave the Mountain Lions much needed momentum going into the season's homestretch.
"This is very good for our confidence," said
Andrea Weedman who had nine kills and 11 digs.
The Mountain Lions now turn their attention to Mesa State, which visits the Lions' Den Saturday evening. The Mavericks are in first place in the RMAC's West Division.
