St. George, Utah. (November 19, 2019) – The No. 6 seeded Colorado State University-Pueblo Volleyball team could not overcome the No. 3 seeded Dixie State University Trailblazers as the Pack fell in four sets (19-25, 19-25, 25-20, 15-25) Tuesday in the opening round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
The ThunderWolves' season ended with a 14-14 record. It's the first time the Pack has been .500 or better since 2014. The ThunderWolves also advanced to their first RMAC Tournament since 2016. CSU-Pueblo's 11 RMAC wins is also its most in five years.
 
Sarah Vang (Sr., Parker, Colo.) posted a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. She hit .429 for the match.
 
Playing in her final match, Kelsey Bell (Sr., Los Lunas, N.M.) handed out 19 assists. Bell also dropped in three of the Pack's six aces.
 
Grace Hern (So., Omaha, Neb.) achieved a double-double. Hern totaled 18 assists and 12 digs..
 
After being named All-RMAC earlier in the day, Diamond'Nique Young (Fr., Fresno, Calif.) knocked down 10 kills. She shared the team lead with four blocks. Young hit .350.
 
Honorable Mention All-RMAC selections Jazzy Espinoza (So., Cheyenne, Wyo.) and Maddy Wisniewski (Jr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) each shared the team lead with four blocks. Espinoza had seven kills, while Wisniewski added kills. Brooke Schilling (Jr., Platteville, Colo.) added nine kills.
 
The Pack kept pace with the Trailblazers early in the first set. With the set tied at 10, the Trailblazers used a 6-0 run to take the lead. The Pack would not get any closer than three as the Trailblazers secured a 25-19 win in the opening stanza.
 
In the second set, the Pack used a 4-0 run to jump in front 12-6.  The Trailblazers rallied and took the lead 20-17. They pulled away 25-19 to take a two-set lead.
 
With the Pack's backs up against the wall, they fought back. Trailing 20-17 in the third set, the Pack went on an 8-0 run with Bell serving to take the third set 25-20. Bell had two aces during this run, while Espinoza had three blocks.
 
Losing a set woke the Trailblazers up. They took the final set 25-15 to advance to the RMAC Tournament Semifinals.
 
Espinoza finished the season with 116 blocks. She finished four blocks shy of the Pack's entire team total in 2018. Young recorded the third-highest blocks per game average in program history during the 2019 campaign.
 
With a .198 hitting percentage, the Pack set a new school record (rally scoring era). The ThunderWolves also finished the season with a school record 174 service aces.
 
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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.