LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team used a strong offensive output Friday night as they rolled to their three straight win in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after sweeping the Cowgirls on the road.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score vs. New Mexico Highlands: W, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-14)
- Records: UCCS (5-6, 3-0 RMAC) | NMHU (1-11, 0-3 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: John Wilson Complex | Las Vegas, N.M.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions are 28-18 all-time against the Cowgirls and have won 10 of the last 11 matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Mountain Lions trailed early in the opening set, 7-4, but a 5-1 run highlighted by two kills from Lauryn Shockley sparked the visiting team to take a 9-8 lead. One rally later the set was tied again at 9-9 before Julia Geiger put down a kill to give UCCS a 10-9 lead they would not relinquish. Twenty of UCCS' 25 points in the first set came from kills as the Mountain Lions hit a staggering .462.
- UCCS cooled off in the second set and didn't grab their first lead of the set until 23 rallies into the action. Later in the set and trailing by two points, Geiger ignited a 4-0 run behind back-to-back kills before she teamed up with Camden Strain to block a NMHU attack. Joei Barela's kill capped the four-point run to boost UCCS to a two-point lead, 21-19. The lead was short-lived as the Cowgirls rattled off three straight points to take their final lead of the set. UCCS responded to the one-point deficit and rattled off four straight points as Geiger registered two kills and the Mountain Lions defense force New Mexico Highlands to commit two attacking errors.
- The third stanza started out similar to the first two sets on the Cowgirls home court. UCCS found themselves trailing early on before a 6-0 run put them on top, 11-7. After the Mountain Lions snagged the four-point lead, they held on to it for the rest of the set and cruised to a 25-14 win. Sydnee Walker and Medlin accounted for 11 of the Mountain Lions 17 kills in the third stanza. UCCS committed only two attacking errors on 39 attempts for a .385 hitting mark.
MATCH STATISTICS
- Walker led both squads with 12 kills to go with a .435 hitting percentage after erring on just two of 23 attempts. She also set her teammates for five assists and dug up six attacks.
- Geiger notched 11 kills and hit an incredible .714 with one error and 14 attempts.
- Shockley dug up a match high 11 attacks and tallied nine kills and a .364 hitting mark.
- Medlin was errorless on 14 attempts as she notched eight kills.
- Barela schemed the offense with a match high 28 assists while also notching five kills and four digs.
- UCCS finished the match with 50 kills, a .381 hitting mark, 41 assists, 34 digs and two blocks.
- Aziza Morris led the Cowgirls with nine kills, six digs and a block assist.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- For the first time since 2012, the Mountain Lions have started the conference season 3-0.
- Barela and Walker set new career highs tonight. The sophomore setter notched five kills and attempted 19 attacks, while Walker's five assists and .435 hitting mark are career highs.
- Walker's 12 kills in a three-set match are a new season high for the Mountain Lions.
- As a team, UCCS set new season highs in attack percentage (.381), most kills in a three-set match (50), and most assists in a three-set match (41).
- The Mountain Lions have swept NMHU 15 times in their 46 meetings.
- Shockley moved up to No. 6 in the career record books with 2,805 total attacks, and she moved to eighth overall with 1,002 kills. The graduate student also recorded her 112th career match at UCCS, tying her for 10th all-time in the program.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will head to Denver, Colo. for a regional pod Sept. 28-29. UCCS will play at Regis on Sept. 28 at 5 p.m., and a neutral site match against Colorado State University Pueblo the following day at 5 p.m.
SOCIAL
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@GoMountainLions
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
