LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team closed out Friday night's match in dramatic fashion, rallying for six consecutive points to secure a 3-1 road victory over New Mexico Highlands University at the John Wilson Complex. The Mountain Lions (15-10, 10-2 RMAC) claimed the match by set scores of 25-19, 21-25, 25-15 and 25-22, extending their winning streak against the Cowgirls to five matches.
INSIDE THE MATCH
- Final Score: W, 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-15, 25-22)
- Records: UCCS (15-10, 10-2 RMAC) | NMHU (3-24, 1-12 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: John Wilson Complex | Las Vegas, N.M.
- All-Time Series: UCCS leads 31-18 in the all-time series and is 11-11 against the Cowgirls in Las Vegas.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UCCS established control early, using a 9-1 run to turn a 5-5 tie into a commanding 14-6 advantage. Five kills from four different Mountain Lions fueled the surge, with Sydni Lafasciano contributing back-to-back kills. The Mountain Lions continued to build their lead, eventually going ahead 21-9 following three consecutive Cowgirl errors. New Mexico Highlands responded with a 9-2 run, but UCCS held on as a soft touch from Hyde sealed the opening set, 25-19.
- The Cowgirls came out firing, opening the second set with a 7-0 run. UCCS worked its way back, with Payton Tompkins recording two kills during a 4-1 stretch before Nicole Himebauch added a kill and service ace to cut the deficit to 10-8. Trailing 19-13, the Mountain Lions made another push, scoring four of the next five points behind a Tompkins ace and two blocks from Sydnee Walker and Himebauch. However, New Mexico Highlands maintained its advantage, with Aziza Morris delivering the final two kills in a 25-21 set victory to even the match.
- The Mountain Lions responded in the third set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind a Tompkins kill and a block from Himebauch and Walker. Himebauch then recorded a kill and two solo blocks as UCCS built a 6-2 advantage. After the Cowgirls closed within one, UCCS created separation with a 12-7 run, highlighted by a Lafasciano kill and service ace. New Mexico Highlands pulled within one again at 14-13, but the Mountain Lions took control late. UCCS capitalized on four Cowgirl errors during a five-point stretch before Himebauch served consecutive aces to help close out an 8-1 run. The Mountain Lions claimed the set, 25-15, to take a 2-1 match lead.
- Neither team led by more than two points during the early stages of a tightly contested fourth set. After six ties, UCCS gained some separation at 11-9 following a pair of Cowgirl errors. New Mexico Highlands responded with three consecutive kills to take a 14-12 lead and eventually extended its advantage to 16-13. The Mountain Lions battled back to even the score at 16-16 behind kills from Hyde and Lafasciano and a Cowgirl error. Tompkins added back-to-back kills to pull UCCS within one at 20-19, but the Cowgirls maintained their lead and moved ahead 22-19. Facing a three-point deficit, the Mountain Lions closed the match with six consecutive points. Himebauch sparked the rally with a solo block before Tompkins added a kill. Himebauch followed with two more kills to give UCCS the lead, 23-22. Miller then connected with Tompkins for consecutive kills to complete the comeback and secure the 25-22 set victory and 3-1 match win.
MATCH STATISTICS
- Himebauch led the way with 11 kills, three service aces and 4.5 blocks while hitting an impressive .529.
- Tompkins paced all players with 13 kills while adding 12 digs and one service ace for a double-double.
- Lafasciano recorded 12 kills without committing an attacking error in 34 attempts, finishing with a .353 hitting percentage and four digs.
- Aubrey Miller distributed 22 assists and added seven digs, while Charlette Albers contributed 11 assists.
- Alysse Marcoso led all players with 24 digs and added four assists.
- As a team, UCCS recorded 50 kills, a .215 hitting percentage, six service aces and nine total blocks.
- Ava Kincaid paced New Mexico Highlands with 11 kills.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With tonight's win, the Mountain Lions are guaranteed a home match in the RMAC quarterfinal round on Tuesday, Nov. 10. UCCS could finish as high as a No. 2 seed, or as low as a No. 4 seed.
- UCCS has won five consecutive meetings against New Mexico Highlands and 12 of the last 13 matchups.
- The Mountain Lions improved to 6-3 in four-set matches this season.
- Tompkins moved into eighth place on the UCCS career points list with 1,235 points. She also climbed to fourth in program history for kills by a junior with 346.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions close out the regular season on Saturday, traveling to Alamosa, Colo., to take on Adams State University at 3 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.
