GUNNISON, Colo. Host Western Colorado and visiting Westminster University went the distance Saturday night at Paul Wright Gym, the Mountaineers rallying back from a two-set deficit only to have the Griffins squeak out a two-point victory in the deciding fifth set for a 3-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball victory.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Westminster def. Western Colorado, 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 24-26, 15-13)
Records: Western 2-8 overall (0-2 RMAC), Westminster 3-7 (1-1)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Nothing was easy for the Griffins in the opening two sets, but they did put Western in a hole with narrow set victories.
• Things turned around in the third set for the Mountaineers, who recorded their highest attack percentage of the night (.333) in extending the action to a fourth set.
• Seyun Park led the charge in that third game, posting five of her match-high 20 kills to rally the Mountaineer attack.
• Maggie Olson and Miya Alvarado added three kills apiece in the set, while four different players each added one service ace.
• The defenses ruled the fourth set. The attack for both squads were thwarted by strong play away from the net. Western and Westminster combined for 54 digs in the set, with Olson (8) leading the way for the Mountaineers who collected a match-best 29 digs in winning the set to even the match.
• The deciding set tilted in favor of Western until late. The Mountaineers forged a lead of 9-5—the ninth point coming on a crowd-thrilling block by Alvarado and Kennedy Kelly— but the Griffins outscored the Mountaineers 10-4 the rest of the way to capture the set and the match.

NET NOTES

• Park's 20 kills were a season high, as was also her .425 attack percentage.
• Alvarado also set a season best in the match with 14 kills, her first double-digit match of the year.
• Olson continues to lead the Mountaineers on the attack, her 10 kills in the match reaching double digits for the sixth time in 10 matches.
• With 48 set assists, Turkmenoglu set a new season high and eclipsed the 40-assist mark for the third time.
• Four different Mountaineers came up with 18 digs each—Olson, Turkmenoglu, Elizabeth Rupprecht, and Olive Rolseth.
• Westminster finished the night with a 10.0-5.0 advantage in blocking.
• The match was dead even on the scoreboard 26 times throughout the five sets, and there were a total of 10 lead changes.

UP NEXT

• Western will take to the road for its next five matches, beginning with a trip to Chadron State (Neb.) College on September 22 for an RMAC match with the Eagles.
• The return trip includes a stop in Lakewood, Colo., for an RMAC match at Colorado Christian University.