PUEBLO, Colo. (March 13, 2021) – The Colorado State University Pueblo Volleyball team posted a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference home victory Saturday when the ThunderWolves swept Western Colorado University, 3-0. 

The ThunderWolves (7-3, 5-2 RMAC) won 25-16, 25-19 and 25-17 to cruise to the match victory. 
 
The Pack totaled 43 kills and hit .307, while the Mountaineers (3-6, 3-6 RMAC) totaled just 28 kills and hit .074. The ThunderWolves produced 11 blocks and allowed six. CSU Pueblo dished out 31 assists. 
 
Post Match Quotes
"It looked like we came out with a lot of confidence, juice and energy," said CSU Pueblo Head Volleyball Coach Austin Albers. "I was proud of how the team played and executed and I thought we came out and did the things we needed to do. It was a great home win and a great team win for us." 
 
"We came off of a hard loss on Thursday and having our first game back at home we were ready to play and ready to prove ourselves," said junior Jazzy Espinoza (Cheyenne, Wyo.). "It was fun, we had a lot of energy and we played really well. It's hard to create our own energy when the gym is empty, so it was nice to look up and see people clapping and bring us energy. It was awesome." 
 
Individual Highlights
Espinoza led the Pack with 12 kills and added four block assists and three solo blocks to score 17 points. She hit an extremely efficient .611 and had just one attack error. 
 
Maddy Wisniewski (Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) added 10 kills and hit .450. She scored 12 points, as she added four block assists. 
 
Bailey Combs (So., Fresno Calif.) contributed eight kills, a block assist and three digs. 
 
The defensive effort was shared by all, as the leaders in the dig category were Elaine Thibadeau (Jr., Monument, Colo.) and Megan Mattingly (Fr., Phoenix, Ariz.) with eight each. Thibadeau dished out four assists and had two service aces. Mattingly added six kills. 
  
At the setter position, Grace Jansen (So., South Jordan, Utah) posted 13 assists and seven digs, while Grace Hern (Jr., Omaha, Neb.) recorded 11 assists with six digs.
 
Summary
CSU Pueblo jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the first set, but Western battled back and the Pack lead was just two at 10-8. The ThunderWolves then rattled off four straight points to lead 14-8 and then doubled up the Mountaineers to own a 22-11 advantage. The home team closed out the match to win 25-16. 
 
The second set featured tighter competition early, as the Pack were ahead by just two at 10-8. A 5-1 run by the ThunderWolves handed the home team a 15-9 lead midway through the frame. WCU was within three at 21-18, but CSU Pueblo was able to close the door with a 4-1 run and win the second 25-19. 
 
The third set saw the Pack jump out to a 5-2 lead, but the Mountaineers battled back and the road squad was within one at 17-16. The ThunderWolves then turned it up and dominated the rest of the set with an 8-1 run to win 25-17 and close the match 3-0. 

Up Next
The Pack remains home March 20 and will host an RMAC pod with No. 6 Colorado School of Mines and No. 21 Regis University visiting Massari Arena. CSU Pueblo hosts the Orediggers at 12 p.m. and the Rangers at 6 p.m. The two nationally-ranked teams will play each other at 3 p.m.
 
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