GUNNISON, Colo. – After a convincing 25-20 opening set win Friday night at Western Colorado University, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team rallied in the fourth set but ultimately fell short to the Mountaineers, 3-1.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: L, 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 16-25, 24-26)
- Records: UCCS (9-10, 4-5 RMAC) | WCU (8-11, 5-3 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Paul Wright Gym | Gunnison, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions are 26-24 all-time against the Mountaineers, and 9-15 when facing Western on their home court.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A turbulent start in the opening set for the Crimson and Slate fell in favor of the Mountain Lions. UCCS took advantage of four errors from Western Colorado to grab an early 5-1 lead. The home team responded with a 6-2 run to knot the match at seven-all but the black and gold started to separate from WCU midway through the set. Leading 13-10, UCCS used a 5-1 run behind a pair of kills of Payton Tompkins and Sydnee Walker and a service ace from Mackenzie Ransom. The run was capped off by an Emily Pruitt and Rylee Pitts blocks to push UCCS' lead to six points, 17-11. The Mountain Lions closed the set outscoring Western, 4-1, thanks in part to three errors from the Mountaineers as UCCS won the set, 25-20.
- The tides changed quickly in the second set with the home team posting a 25-17 win to even the match. The Mountain Lions held a lead for just one rally early in the second. Holding onto a 10-8 lead, Western broke the set open on a 9-2 run, forcing UCCS to commit four errors while WCU served up three aces in the process.
- Pitts and Tompkins each put down a kill and an attacking error from WCU gave UCCS a solid 3-0 start in the third set. The Mountaineers responded by rattling off four straight points to take their first lead, 4-3, before both teams tied the score four times before either team reached 10 points. The 3-0 lead marked the first and last time UCCS held the advantage over Western in the third stanza as the home team kept the upper hand over the black and gold. The Mountaineers put the set away after outscoring the Mountain Lions 8-1 that featured five kills from four different Mountaineers, giving WCU a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-16 victory.
- The final set proved to be the closest action of the night between the two teams with four lead changes and the score tied eight times. Early into the action and the score tied for the third time at 5-5, the Mountain Lions went on a 5-1 run after picking up kills from Pitts, Tompkins and Maylen Mitrovich to gain a 10-6 advantage. Down 13-9, Western sparked a 9-1 run to regain the lead as Olive Rolseth accounted for three of the six kills during the run and two blocks by the Mountaineers set them at 18-14. WCU's lead didn't last long as the black and gold used a 4-0 run of their own to knot the set. Walker started the run followed by a Pitts and Ahlers block connection at the net before a solo block from Tompkins and a ball handling error on the Mountaineers tied the set at 18-18. With UCCS down 22-21, Pruitt nailed two straight kills to give UCCS the lead back, 23-22, and a kill from Danielle Varela put UCCS within one point of tying the match. After Varela's kill and serving set point, the Mountaineers called a timeout that proved to be successful as Pelin Aksay notched two kills and a UCCS attacking error gave the Mountaineers set point, 25-24. The home team came away with the win, 26-24, after blocking UCCS' final attempt at the net.
MATCH STATISTICS
- UCCS posted 50 kills, hit .148 with 42 assists, eight blocks and 71 digs.
- Pitts paced the offense with 13 kills and a solid .276 hitting percentage.
- Tompkins also chipped in 13 kills and added 10 digs.
- Walker led the team in digs with 17 and added six kills.
- Ransom served UCCS' lone ace on the night and accounted for 12 digs and three assists.
- Dowd posted a double-double with a team high 33 assists and 10 digs.
- Western's Seyun Park led both teams with 19 kills.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Pitts recorded a career high 13 kills and 29 attacks.
- Tonight's setback broke a three-match winning streak against WCU.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will head south to face Fort Lewis College tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
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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.
