The Kelsey Pobar Show helped the Mountain Lions creep above the .500 mark for the first time since Sept. 19.

Pobar had 17 digs, including nine in the critical second set, as the Mountain Lions defeated the Chadron State Eagles 3-0 (25-10, 25-23, 25-13) Friday evening at the Lions'Den.

After a dominant first set, UCCS was on the verge of letting the second set slip away. After a 4-0 Eagles run put them up 22-19, Pobar took over, frustrating the Chadron State attack by keeping shot after shot alive.

"Kelsey's awesome; she was rockin'back there," said UCCS sophomore Andrea Brodie, who finished with nine kills. "She does a great job reading from the back row. She's our last line of defense and she's always there for us."

That last line of defense allowed the Mountain Lions offense additional opportunities to score. They didn't waste them.

Back-to-back kills by Kim Boogaard and another by Lauren Orth helped UCCS climb back to a 23-all tie. From there, a block by Karina Miastkowska and an errant Chadron State attack finished the set.

The failure to close out the second set carried over to the third for Chadron State. Molly Crockett had seven of her team-high 15 kills in the set as UCCS hit .310 to wrap up the sweep.

The Mountain Lions improved to 12-11, 7-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They've now won five of their past seven matches.

Friday's match was also UCCS'eighth straight win over Chadron State dating back to 2004. The last time the Eagles won in the series was on Oct. 17, 2003.

While the Mountain Lions had only five blocks Friday, their play at the net was a factor. UCCS deflected several Chadron State attacks, allowing the defense time to adjust. The big front also forced the Eagles to alter several other shots. Many of which went out of play.

"We've been really working on blocking and being strong at the net," said Brodie.

The result of the blocking plus Pobar defensive equation was to hold Chadron State to a dismal -.035 hitting mark, the lowest by a UCCS opponent this season.

Jennifer Luatua had a match-high 19 digs for Chadron State (3-21, 1-13 RMAC). Jamie O'Brien led the Eagles with seven kills.

Senior setter Jessica Stewart had 26 assists and 11 digs for UCCS, which hit a solid .229 for the match despite the lackluster second set.

"We definitely picked up passing," said Brodie, "which allowed us to hit stronger and put them under pressure."

UCCS will play Colorado School of Mines on Saturday at 7 p.m. It will be the final home match of the season for the Mountain Lions, who will finish with four road matches.