COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 6, 2022) - The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with a 3-1 (25-21, 16-25, 25-19, 25-13) victory on the road Tuesday at University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

The ThunderWolves were led offensively by Payton Van Veen with 17 kills and Jazzy Espinoza recorded three service aces and defensively she was a brick wall with six blocks, both were game highs.

In the match, CSU Pueblo earned a .296 hitting percentage and finished with eight service aces.

In the first set, the Pack fought through a couple of scoring runs by UCCS and with the set tied at 16 apiece, CSU Pueblo went on a mini 3-0 run to take the lead for good. Van Veen started her offense right away and recorded six kills along with six assists dished out by Sabrina King. 

The second set went to the home team as the Mountain Lions put together a 4-0 run late in the set to even the score at 1-1.

The Pack offense responded over the final two sets and came out with high energy and smart passing.

In the fourth set, CSU Pueblo went on a 4-point run and later a six-point run to seal the set win in dominating fashion.

CSU Pueblo (8-1, 1-0 RMAC) returns home for a matinee matchup Saturday against Black Hills State starting at 2 p.m. at Massari Arena.