GUNNISON, Colo.  History wasn't on their side.

The 2-0 hole after two sets – never once having the lead – compounded the task at hand.

But the Mountaineers rose up to win the third set against visiting Colorado State Pueblo, then took the ThunderWolves to the wire in the fourth before finally succumbing, 3-1, in a thrilling Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball match Saturday evening in Paul Wright Gym.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: CSU Pueblo def. Western, 3-1 (25-14, 25-15, 20-25, 25-22)
Records: Western 2-15 (1-9 RMAC), CSU Pueblo 15-3 (8-2)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the previous 18 matches that date back to the 2010 season, Western was 1-17 against Pueblo, with a 2019 victory by the Mountaineers breaking a 15-match losing streak.
• The opening two sets looked to be following much of that same script as the ThunderWolves never trailed in putting Western in that 2-0 hole. It was a different story, however, in the third set.
• The Mountaineers opened with a kill from Caroline Parker and, though Pueblo would tie the set at 1-1 and 11-11, never gave up the lead in earning a five-point set victory.
• Western came alive in the set, posting a single-set season-best hitting percentage of .400. This despite Pueblo racking up 5.0 blocks during the set.
• The win elevated not only the resolve of the Mountaineers, but also ignited the Homecoming Weekend crowd of nearly 300 Western Colorado fans.
• The momentum from that set victory carried over into the fourth set and was a sign that the ThunderWolves were not going to have an easy time the rest of the way.
• Tied at 4-4 in what did become the deciding set, both teams traded punches on the scoreboard over the remainder of the match. There were 16 ties in all throughout the set and only four lead changes.
• The first two-point advantage since an earlier 4-2 Western lead came at 19-17, on a Lexi Wilmoth service ace. Soon enough, though, Pueblo pulled back even at 20-20.
• The next two points became the breaking point, however. Pueblo scored unanswered points for its first two-point edge, then after trading points as Western pulled within a point at 23-22, the ThunderWolves strung two more points together to finally put away the monstrous challenge put forth from the Mountaineers.

DATA POINTS

• Western finished with a season best .304 attack percentage. Knocking down 11 kills was Mountaineer leader Emily Mangone, who was joined in double figures by Jaeda Davis-Golliher (10).
• Pueblo pushed three into double figures on the night, paced by Sadie Scoville's match-high 15 kills. The ThunderWolves finished the match with a .405 hitting percentage, which included a likely season high .640 in the second set.
• Both teams ran two setters through their rotations. Western's Hailee Martinez and Pueblo's Sabrina King both ended with match-best 27 set assists. Wilmoth dished out 22 assists for the Mountaineers and Grace Hern added 21 for Pueblo.
• Blocking totals played in role in the final outcome. The ThunderWolves finished with 11.0 in the victory, while Western ended with 4.0 in the match. Leading the way at the net for Pueblo was Jazzy Espinoza who accumulated 3.5 of her team's total number of blocks. On Western's side of the net it was Davis-Golliher with 2.0 blocks to register half of her team's total.

LOOKING AHEAD
Western has a two-match road trip to South Dakota ahead, first taking on host Black Hills State University on October 14, and then squaring off with South Dakota School of Mines the next night in a pair of RMAC matches.