GOLDEN, Colo. – Coming off a season-opening setback Thursday night to Flagler University, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team bounced back Friday morning to claim their first win of the season, 3-2, over Rockhurst University. UCCS finished the day with a 3-1 loss to Northern State University. The Mountain Lions are opening their season in Golden, Colo. at the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers Classic.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: Vs. RU: W, 3-2 (30-32, 25-19, 25-19, 16-25, 15-9) | Vs. NSU: L, 3-1 (17-25, 18-25, 25-16, 15-25)
- Records: UCCS (1-2, 0-0 RMAC) | RU (1-1, 0-0 GLVC) | NSU (2-0, 0-0 NSIC)
- Facility | Location: CSM Lockridge Arena | Golden, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 1-3 all-time against Rockhurst, while tonight's match against Northern State marked the first time each team faced each other.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS. ROCKHURST
- The first set in Friday's action for the Mountain Lions went to extra points, 32-30, in favor of the Hawks. In the early action of set one, both teams battled back and forth with multiple lead changes before the 10-point mark. Trailing 13-9, UCCS went on a 6-0 run that featured kills from Payton Tompkins, Nicole Himebauch and Aubrey Miller. Several moments later, Sydney Hyde blocked an RU attack to give UCCS a 20-18 lead and forcing Rockhurst to use a timeout. The next eight rallies were littered with ties and lead changes, before Charlette Albers connected with Tompkins to tie the set at 25-25. Rockhurst's Adalyn MacLean tied the set at 30-all with a kill before a UCCS error gave the Hawks a 31-30 lead. MacLean then sealed the win for RU when she assisted on the game-winning kill as UCCS went down in set one, 32-20.
- The second set of the match went much smoother for the Mountain Lions as they controlled the set from the first serve. The Mountain Lions snagged an early 4-1 lead after RU served up two errors and Tompkins blocked an attack. Leading 6-4, UCCS extended their lead to 14-5 after an 8-1 run, highlighted by three straight kills from Sydni Lafasciano. The Mountain Lions kept a comfortable advantage over the remainder of the set, finishing a with respectable .212 hitting mark behind 12 kills and 33 attacks while adding four blocks and two aces.
- The Mountain Lions continued their momentum into the third set, overcoming an early deficit and closing out the frame with a 25-19 win. UCCS used a .375 hitting percentage in the set, its highest mark of the match, to take a 2-1 lead.
- Rockhurst responded in the fourth set, hitting .484 while limiting UCCS to a .161 hitting percentage. The Hawks pulled away late to win the set 25-16 and force a deciding fifth set.
- UCCS took control early in the fifth set, building an advantage behind a pair of service aces from Sydnee Walker. The Mountain Lions continued to hold the lead as Hyde and Lafasciano contributed kills before Tompkins delivered the match-winning kill to give UCCS a 15-9 victory and complete the 3-2 comeback.
MATCH STATISTICS VS. ROCKHURST
- Tompkins led all Mountain Lions with 18 kills while hitting .326. She also recorded 12 digs and finished with two blocks.
- Lafasciano added 12 kills, while Hyde posted 11 kills on 19 attacks for a .421 hitting percentage. Walker finished with 10 kills.
- Himebauch contributed nine kills, while Miller recorded four kills and a team-high 34 assists. Albers added 16 assists.
- Marcoso led the defensive effort with 21 digs, while Tompkins added 12 digs.
- UCCS finished the match with 64 kills, a .275 hitting percentage, nine service aces and 11.0 team blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED VS. NORTHERN STATE
- Friday's night match went in favor of Northern State in the opening set. Tompkins tallied a kill early on in the action to knot the set at 4-4, but it would the closest UCCS would get to taking a lead as NSU led the entire set, including a nine-point late in the action. The Mountain Lions were edged in kills by the Wolves, 13-12, but were plagued with eight service aces as NSU took set one, 25-17.
- The Wolves kept the pressure on in the second set, snagging a quick 6-1 lead. UCCS chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit down to three, 10-7, as Walker and Himebauch each put down a kill to go with Tompkins' ace. NSU continued to break the rest of the set, not allowing the Mountain Lions to come within five points of their, as the Wolves took a 2-0 match lead after claiming the 25-18 set win.
- The Mountain Lions bounced back and avoided the sweep with a 25-16 victory in set three. Tompkins and Himebauch paired up to block a Wolves attack that tied the set at 3-3. Piper DeRuiter started and capped off a 6-2 run with kills, boosting UCCS to an 11-7 lead. Tompkins later accounted for four kills during an 8-3 run by UCCS that pushed their lead to eight points, 19-11. An NSU attacking error and an ace from Lafasciano set up Miller for the set-winning kill, 25-16.
- The fourth set saw both teams stay within three points of each other through the first half of action. Four errors by the Wolves aided the Mountain Lions in a 4-1 run that gave the black and gold a 9-6 lead. NSU responded with a their own 6-1 spurt that gave them a 12-10 lead. The Wolves sealed the match win after ending the set on a 9-1 run that gave them a 25-15 set win and 3-1 match win.
MATCH STATISTICS VS. NORTHERN STATE
- Tompkins produced another stellar performance behind 18 kills, a .390 hitting mark, three aces and three blocks. Lafasciano and Hyde each chipped in seven kills.
- Miller set up the Mountain Lions on 27 assists while Albers posted 11 assists across two sets.
- The Mountain Lions were edged in kills (52-43) and assists (50-41) but attempted 113 attacks to NSU's 110.
- Three Wolves recorded double-digit kills with Victoria Persha leading her team behind 14 kills.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Friday's match marked the first win over Rockhurst, and the first meeting against Northern State.
- The Mountain Lions recorded their first five-set victory of the 2026 season.
- All three teams today's received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will close out the opening weekend of the season tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. when they face Cal Poly Humboldt.
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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.
