COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team rolled to a four-set victory over New Mexico Highlands University behind an overall team performance. The dominant performance increased their home winning streak to five matches.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

• Final Score: W, 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-18)
• Records: UCCS (7-5, 2-2 RMAC) | NMHU (2-8, 1-2 RMAC)
• Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
• All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions increase their series advantage to 29-18 over NMHU and are 9-1 in their last 10 matchups.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Friday night's battle between the Mountain Lions and Cowgirls started slowly, with NMHU up 5-3 early. UCCS then turned on the jets and went for a 7-0 run with multiple kills coming from Sydnee Walker and Avery Ahlers. The Cowgirls brought it back within two (14-12) later on until the Mountain Lions erupted for a 5-0 run to take a comfortable 19-12 lead. UCCS held on the rest of the way and finished set one with a win after a kill from Danielle Varela.  
• Set two was lackluster from the first serve, with the Mountain Lions trailing 10-5 early. UCCS struggled to find its footing and would allow another run from NMHU, who pushed their lead to 11 (19-8). The Mountain Lions then exploded and went on a 15-5 run, finding themselves down only 24-23. The comeback in set two fell just short as UCCS couldn't keep the ball in bounds on the next serve, and the sets would be even at one apiece.
• The Mountain Lions and Cowgirls played evenly through seven points to start set three. But kills from Walker and Varela sparked UCCS to a 10-5 run to take a 17-12 lead. The two teams traded points the rest of the way, but Michelle Fredrick put things out of reach to cap off three straight points from the Mountain Lions, pounding the ball into the ground for a kill and putting UCCS up 23-16. The Mountain Lions held onto win set three 25-17 and took a 2-1 advantage in the match. Set three saw 18 kills from UCCS with a hitting percentage of .406.
• UCCS cruised to a 6-1 lead out of the gate in set four, but NMHU would pull themselves within two (7-5), preventing things from getting lopsided. The Cowgirls stuck around with the Mountain Lions, but with UCCS up 15-13, they would score the next four points with no response, gaining a 19-13 lead. From there, the Mountain Lions maintained control, and Fredrick and Payton Tompkins put the finishing touches on the match with a pair of kills, winning 25-18.

MATCH STATISTICS

• UCCS dominated in multiple fascists throughout tonight's match. The Mountain Lions out-killed (61-35), out-hit (.278-.119), and had more assists (56-33) than the Cowgirls.
• Tompkins led the team in kills with 14, followed by Walker, who contributed 13, and Emily Pruitt, who nabbed 10.
• Along with her 13 kills, Walker had a hit percentage of .357, two service aces, one assist, and 18 digs.
• Audrey Dowd led in assists tonight with 32, followed by Maylen Mitrrovich, who tallied 20.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• UCCS is 4-1 in four-set matches this season and continues their win streak at home to five.
• The Mountain Lions have won three straight matches against NMHU since September 9, 2022.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions head to Pueblo next to take on Colorado State University Pueblo at the CSUP Massari Arena on Tuesday, October 1. The first serve is slated for 7 p.m.

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For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com. 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.