COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The Western Colorado volleyball team opened its final road trip of the regular season Friday night with a matchup against the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). The Mountaineers claimed the first and third sets before battling through a tightly contested five-set match, ultimately falling to the Mountain Lions.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: UCCS def. Western Colorado, 3-2 (26-24, 25-20, 26-24, 26-24, 15-7)
Records: Western Colorado 10-13 (4-7 RMAC), UCCS 14-9 (9-2 RMAC)
Location: Gallogly Events Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Western came out firing on the road against one of the top teams in the RMAC, making an early statement with a narrow 26-24 first-set victory. The Mountaineers set the tone from the opening serve, showing they could compete with the conference's best.
- Carrying that momentum into the second set, Western continued to battle. The Mountaineers built a 14-10 advantage midway through the frame, but the Mountain Lions responded with a run of their own, eventually tying the set at 20 before taking it 25-20.
- The third set featured another strong performance from Western. The Mountaineers battled back late and delivered in extra points, claiming their second 26-24 set victory of the match to take a 2-1 lead.
- Western found itself in another tightly contested battle in the fourth. The two teams traded points down the stretch, but UCCS came out on top in extra points, taking the set 26-24 to force a decisive fifth set.
- Lauren Jacobson led the Mountaineers offensively with a season-high and career-high 14 kills. Four Mountaineers finished with double-digit kills, including Maggie Legg with 12, while Breanna Nohava and Page Oothoudt each added 10. Anuhea Ka'alele paced the offense with 27 assists, while Olivia Moore contributed 18.
- Defensively, Galatia Andrew led Western with 20 digs, followed closely by Legg, who finished with 19. At the net, Nohava recorded a team-high six block assists, making her presence felt on both sides of the ball.
- In the deciding fifth set, UCCS gained control early and used a late run to pull away from the Mountaineers, taking the final set 15-7 and securing the five-set victory.
UP NEXT
Western will return to action Saturday, October 31, as the Mountaineers travel to Denver to take on MSU Denver at 4 PM in the final match of their regular-season road trip.
