DURANGO, Colo. (November 9, 2019) – Colorado State University-Pueblo Volleyball swept Fort Lewis College (25-21 26-24, 25-22) Saturday to secure a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
At 10-7 in RMAC play, the Pack will advance to the postseason for the first time since 2016. The ThunderWolves evened their record at 13-13.
 
The Pack also earned their first weekend sweep of the season. They had split every weekend of the conference season. The ThunderWolves beat Adams State in five sets last night.
 
CSU-Pueblo doubled up the Skyhawks in hitting percentage .203 to .101. They enjoyed a 65 to 52 advantage in digs.
 
Diamond'Nique Young (Fr., Fresno, Calif.) shared the team-lead with eight kills. Young hit .375 for the match. She also had four blocks including two solo blocks. Young finished the weekend with 12 blocks and seven solo blocks.
 
Sarah Vang (Sr., Parker, Colo.) matched Young with a .375 hitting clip. Vang added 14 digs and seven kills.
 
Brooke Schilling (Jr., Platteville, Colo.) collected seven kills. She finished with a team-high 16 digs. Vang and Schilling each put away two aces.
 
Like Young, Jazzy Espinoza (So., Cheyene, Wyo.) knocked down eight kills. Espinoza hit .318 and finished with three blocks.
 
Grace Jansen (Fr., South Jordan, Utah) led the Pack with 17 assists in just two sets. Grace Hern  (So., Omaha, Neb.) had 11 assists and seven digs.
 
The Pack started the match on an 11-4 run. A 5-0 run later in the set helped the Skyhawks close within two at 16-14. CSU-Pueblo used a 5-1 run to reclaim a six-point lead at 22-16.  They claimed the first set 25-21.
 
The second set see-sawed with both teams stringing together runs.  A 5-0 Pack run made it 15-12, but the Skyhawks promptly tied it. The two squads remained close. With the Pack leading 24-22, the Skyhawks fended off two set points to tie it at 24. A kill from Vang and a block by Young gave the Pack a 26-24 win in set two.
 
In the third set, the Pack used a 6-2 run to build a 22-16 lead. The Skyhawks bounced back within two at 23-21. Kills from Young and Schilling helped the Pack prevail 25-22.
 
With their victory, the Pack clinched their first sweep of the season. When University of Colorado Colorado Springs fell to Colorado Mesa University, the Pack officially wrapped up a spot in the RMAC Tournament.
 
The ThunderWolves will wrap up their regular season Friday Nov. 15 when the Pack hosts New Mexico Highlands University at Massari Arena. The Pack will celebrate senior night by honoring the careers of Vang, Kelsey Bell and Page Heller at 7 p.m.
 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.