COLORADO SPRINGS - The Brodie sisters combined for 21 kills to lead the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to a win over the Colorado State-Pueblo Thunderwolves 3-1 (25-13, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17) Saturday evening in the final match of the 2009 Marriott Volleyball Invitational at the Lions' Den.

Freshman Laura Brodie led the Mountain Lions with 11 kills while sister Andrea, a junior, had 10.

The win awarded UCCS the first two points toward the 2009-10 Steel & Silver Series. The rivalry series between the schools awards four points each for the winner of head-to-head competitions in the 10 sports sponsored by both schools. To that 40 points is added five for the school whose student-athletes achieves the highest cumulative grade-point average. UCCS has retained the Ent Federal Credit Union Trophy awarded to the winner in each of the four years that the series has been held.

Since the two volleyball teams will play each other twice this season, UCCS has guaranteed itself at least two points for the sport. The teams will play again on Oct. 8.

And if Saturday's match was any indication, the Oct. 8 contest is a must-see. CSU-Pueblo, which did not win a set prior to the final match, rose to the occasion against UCCS by taking the second set and giving the Mountain Lions all they could handle in the third.

Alea Wildman, Megan Koop and Bernadette Pitre each had seven kills to lead the Thunderwolves (0-4). Ashley Michel had a team-high 25 digs and Pitre had a solo block and five assisted blocks.

The match looked to be a rout at the start as the Mountain Lions dominated. UCCS hit a Nintendo-like .478 in the first set while holding CSU-Pueblo to a -.160 mark. Six of CSU-Pueblo's 13 points in the set came by way of UCCS service errors.

But the Mountain Lions' domination turned to doubt in the second set as CSU-Pueblo put up four blocks and held UCCS to a .093 hitting mark by forcing nine hitting errors.

The third set was tied at 12 when UCCS coach Keith Barnett called a timeout to settle his team. It worked as the Mountain Lions scored eight straight points.

Instead of folding, though, the Thunderwolves responded with a steady comeback that saw them close to within one at 24-23. Andrea Brodie's kill ended the comeback and put UCCS up two sets to one.

The fourth set was tied at 15 when the Mountain Lions went on a 7-0 run highlighted by two service aces by Kendall Utz, who also had a team-high 20 digs.

Cindy Bathelt had 37 assists, seven blocks, eight digs and five kills for UCCS.