GUNNISON, Colo. – After falling in the opening set 25-23, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team came back to win the next three sets at Western Colorado University, 3-1, to secure a spot in the 2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament. The win improves UCCS to 21-2 on the season and 20-1 in league matches.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: W, 3-1 (23-25, 25-11, 27-25, 25-20)
- Records: UCCS (21-2, 10-1 RMAC) | WCU (1-22, 0-11 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: WCU Paul Wright Gymnasium | Gunnison, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions are 28-24 all-time against the Mountaineers. UCCS moves to 7-2 when playing WCU on their home court and has won five of the last six matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Karlee Pinell recorded the first serve of the match and received the point for UCCS after Sydnee Hyde's kill. An 8-2 run by Western Colorado gave the home team an early 8-3 lead over UCCS. The Mountain Lions were able to cut into the lead, 9-6, after kills from Nicole Martin, Pinell, and Sydnee Walker before a 4-0 run from the black and gold knotted the match at 14-14. Still trailing 19-17, a kill and an ace from the hands of Pinell, along with Payton Tompkins' kill, gave UCCS its first lead of the set since the opening serve, 20-19. Leading 22-20 and forcing the Mountaineers to use their second timeout, the Mountain Lions were unable to stop the home team as Western scored five of the last six points to win set one, 25-23.
- The Mountain Lions evened the match 1-1 after a convincing 25-11 win in the second set. The black and gold jumped to an 8-1 lead behind three kills from Tompkins and two each from Martin and Walker. Three errors by the Mountain Lions in the next six rallies brought WCU within five, 10-5, but the Mountain Lions kept full control over the Mountaineers for the remainder of the set. Leading 19-10, the Mountain Lions finished the set outscoring WCU 6-1. Hyde highlighted the final push for UCCS, accounting for two blocks and two block assists.
- Western came out swinging in set three, jumping to a 6-1 lead and forcing UCCS to call an early timeout. Finding themselves in a 10-4 deficit, the Mountain Lions began to claw back and proceeded to go on an 8-2 run that featured six kills from five Mountain Lions, tying the set at 12-12. Both teams wrestled back and forth for the lead. After the 12-12 tie, neither team led by more than two points as the set played out with eight scoring ties and seven lead changes. The Mountain Lions took a 24-22 lead, but two kills and a block on UCCS put the crimson and slate in front, 25-24. Coming out of a UCCS timeout, the Mountaineers served the ball out of bounds, tying the set again at 25-25. Maylen Mitrovich and Tompkins teamed to put the set away with back-to-back kills, giving UCCS the 27-25 win.
- Both teams continued to battle back and forth into the fourth set with seven ties and three lead changes in the first 14 rallies. After the seventh tie of the set, 7-7, the Mountain Lions started to break away from WCU and used a 5-1 run behind block assists from Hyde and Tompkins, and Mitrovich and Martin. Libero Mackenzie Ransom dialed up an ace to give UCCS a 12-8 lead and forced WCU to use a timeout. The Mountaineers found themselves down by five, 16-11, and burned their second timeout of the set as UCCS rolled to the set win, 25-20.
MATCH STATISTICS
- Tompkins accounted for 19 of UCCS' 61 kills, leading both teams in kills. She added two blocks and nine kills.
- Martin was second on the team in kills with 10, and she chipped in three block assists.
- Hyde was a defensive unit at the net, assisting on seven blocks and adding eight kills.
- Mitrovich patrolled the offense with 42 kills while digging up 15 attacks.
- Ransom's 19 digs marked a match high as she also chipped in eight assists and three aces.
- UCCS finished the match with 61 kills, a .292 hitting mark, 12 blocks, and 73 digs.
- Olive Rolseth paced the Mountaineers with 18 kills and six digs.
- Western was held to 44 kills and hit .139
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lions' 21 wins this season are the third most in program history.
- UCCS improves to 6-0 in four-set matches, and 9-3 when a set goes to extra points.
- The Mountain Lions set a new season high mark in assists (56), and their 61 kills are the second most in a match this season, while the 73 digs are the second most in a four-set match.
- Tompkins set several season highs tonight in a four-set match, including kills (19), total attempts (47), and points (20.5).
- Mitrovich's 42 assists tonight are a season high, while Hyde's seven block assists are the second most in a match.
- Martin moved up to No. 5 in the record books for the most block assists in a season (77). She also sits on top of the list for most blocks by a junior in a season (77).
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will travel to Durango, Colo. for the second straight weekend. UCCS will face Fort Lewis College tomorrow at 4 p.m. in its final road match of the regular season.
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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.
