COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs Volleyball team split their matches on day two of the Mountain Lion Classic. After dropping their first match to Saint Martin's in four sets, the Mountain Lions rallied from two sets down to Bemidji State, taking the victory in five sets.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score vs. Saint Martin's: 1-3 (17-25, 25-21, 15-25, 14-25) | vs. Bemidji St.: 3-2 (24-26, 23-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-6)
- Records: UCCS (2-5, 0-0 RMAC) | SMU (3-2, 0-0 GNAC) | BSU (2-4, 0-0 NSIC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center| Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: Today's matches between Saint Martin's and Bemidji State are the first time in program history UCCS has faced either team.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS. SAINT MARTIN'S
- The Mountain Lions quickly tied the opening set with Saint Martins at 3-3, seeing back to back kills from Sydnee Walker. Saint Martin's would respond, serving up consecutive aces as part of a 7-1 run, forcing a UCCS timeout. The Mountain Lions cut the Saints' lead down to three on multiple occasions, but were unable to get over the hump, as the Saints took the initial set, 25-17.
- UCCS turned things around to start the second set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead before an early Saint Martin's timeout. Consecutive kills from Walker, Julia Geiger and Camden Strain would give UCCS the momentum they needed. The home team never trailed in this set, with six different players recording at least two kills. Strain added three blocks of her own, as the Mountain Lions tied the contest at 1-1, winning the set 25-21.
- The final two sets belonged to the Saints as they were able to keep the upper hand against UCCS. Saint Martin's tallied 18 kills in the third set, propelling them to a 25-15 advantage. The Mountain Lions fell behind 11-0 to start the fourth set, which proved to be a hole too big to climb out of. The Saints would take this set 25-14, defeating UCCS in four sets.
MATCH STATISTICS VS. SAINT MARTIN'S
- Strain led the Mountain Lions with eight kills, as Nicole Meldin and Raegen Emery each had six kills of their own.
- Mackenzie Ransom accounted for both of UCCS' aces with two, as she also contributed five assists and dug up seven Saint's attacks.
- Barela, who finished the match with two kills and a team-high 12 digs, led the team with 31 assists.
- The Mountain Lions hit .117 for the match with 38 kills and 37 set assists.
- Saint Martin's notched 57 kills, seven aces and hit .323 for the match. The Saints were led by Sirena Peredo, who tallied a match-high 15 kills for a 16.5 point performance. Karla Soto led the match with 47 assists, adding three aces and three kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS. BEMIDJI ST.
- Strain opened the match with her first of two kills in the set. No team secured an upper hand, as the match sat tied at 12 points a piece. The Beavers, behind the serve of Lauren Justesen, embarked on a 5-0 run, to take a 17-12 lead late in the set. Still down five, the Mountain Lions went on a run of their own. Kills from Shockley and Barela brought the Mountain Lions in front, 22-21. Both teams would trade blows, but it was Bemidji State who came out on top, taking the first set 26-24.
- The Beavers would jump out to an early 7-2 lead, holding that advantage until late in the set. With the score now at 20-12 in favor of Bemidji State, the Mountain Lions would attempt a late push to get back into the set. UCCS capitalized on multiple errors from the Beavers, to cut the lead to just one. This run would eventually fall short, as the visiting team took the set 25-23, giving them a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Both teams continued to battle back and forth in the third set, with neither team leading by more than three points for the majority of the set. With the score knotted at 20, Shockley's serve fueled a UCCS run, ending with two kills from Walker. The Mountain Lions came out victorious in the third set, winning 25-21.
- The fourth set was all black and gold, as they carried their momentum over from the previous set. The Mountain Lions hit at an outstanding .417 clip, tallying 12 kills and three service aces. The Beavers were never able to find their footing, as the Mountain evened the match up at two sets.
- With Gallogly Events Center on their feet, UCCS came out on fire in the final set. The home team jumped out to a commanding 9-3 lead behind four kills from Shockley. Medlin put an exclamation point on the match, recording blocks on back-to-back points, completing the Mountain Lions comeback, as they took the final set, 15-6.
MATCH STATISTICS VS. BEMIDJI STATE
- Shockley led all players with 15 kills, adding two aces and 13 digs. Medlin was second on the team with 13 kills of her own.
- Barela assisted on a career high 45 kills, as she also had three kills and one service ace.
- Medlin led the match with three blocks, in part of a 14.5 point performance.
- As a team, the Mountain Lions hit .320 for the match, posting a .914 reception percentage.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Barela bested her previous career high (which she set last night) with 45 assists.
- Shockley is now one match away from breaking into the top-10 in matches played in UCCS history (108).
- Tonight's victory is the first five set win for the Mountain Lions in the 2023 campaign.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will conclude the Mountain Classic tomorrow night, as they take on #10 Nebraska-Kearney at 5 p.m. (MST) inside Gallogly Events Center.
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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.
