RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team saw its three-match winning streak snapped here Saturday afternoon as the ThunderWolves fell in five sets (19-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17, 12-15) to South Dakota Mines in Rocky Mountain Conference action at the King Center.
With the setback, the Pack falls to 4-8 overall and 3-1 in the RMAC, while South Dakota Mines improves to 8-4 overall and 2-2 in the league. Saturday's match came less than 24 hours as the Pack collected a three-set win on Friday night at Black Hills State.
"Tough weekend for us. While we finally saw some positive growth on the defensive side of the ball, but we weren't as sharp as we have been offensively. When that happens on the road against a quality opponent, you usually pay for it," CSU Pueblo head volleyball coach
Austin Albers said. "We gave ourselves a shot but just didn't terminate well enough in the 5th set. We'll get back in the gym on Monday and make the necessary improvements."
The Pack outhit the Hardrockers, .223 to .184, but in the fifth and final set, South Dakota Mines hit .321 and held the Pack to an .083 attack percentage. The Pack also held a 58-56 edge in kills but was outblocked 10-5 and the home team finished with eight aces to three for the Pack.
Sophomore opposite side hitter
Kendall Harrington (San Antonio, Texas/Tom C. Clark) paced the Pack with 16 kills and added six digs, two blocks and hit .310. In addition to Harrington, junior opposite side hitter
Brooklyn Casey (Peoria, Ariz./Scottsdale CC) added 12 kills, eight digs and hit .320 and sophomore outside hitter
Sadie Scoville (Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove) tallied 11 kills and 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter
Payton Van Veen (Springfield, Mo./Washburn) finished one kill shy of double digits as she tallied nine and hit .226.
Senior defensive specialist
Kealey Marshall (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail) paced the Pack defense with a career-high 20 digs, while freshman libero
Maddox Richtmyre (Surprise, Ariz./Willow Canyon) added 16 digs and senior setter
Grace Jansen (Sandy, Utah/Jordan) had 15 digs and added 19 assists for her second double-double this season.
Junior setter
Sabrina King (Parker, Colo./Lutheran) posted her third double-double of the season as she tallied 25 assists and 13 digs.
SDM was paced offensively by 15 kills and a .302 attack percentage by Alessandra Meoni, while Paisley Gibson added 12 kills and three blocks and Annelise Larson totaled nine kills, five blocks and hit .429 in the win. Hannah Benes finished with 20 digs and two aces, while Kiera Walsh had three blocks and six kills.
Set 1: The first set was close throughout as it featured nine ties and three lead changes. SDM led 9-5 early in the set, but the Pack responded with a 9-3 run capped by a kill from redshirt sophomore middle blocker
Golden Finch (Albuquerque, N.M./Cal State Bakersfield) to take a 14-12 lead. The Hardrockers would answer back with a 4-2 run to tie the set at 16-all and after Van Veen gave the Pack a 17-16 lead with a kills, SDM responded by closing the set on a 9-2 run to post a 25-19 set win. In the set, the Pack hit .214 with 14 kills, while SDM hit .167 with 12 kills and three aces.
Set 2: The second set belonged to the Pack as they hit .205 and used at least two kills from five players, including four by Harrington to earn a 25-17 win and tie the match at a set apiece. SDM finished the set hitting just .048.
Set 3: SDM jumped out to a 7-2 lead and led 12-7 when the Pack responded with an 11-7 run capped by three straight SDM errors to cut the Hardrockers lead to 19-18. The Hardrockers would close the set on a 6-3 run and capped its 25-21 win with a kill by Jenna Curtis. In the set, the Pack was outhit, .333 to .212 as the Hardrockers had 19 kills and three aces. Scoville and Casey each had three of the Pack's nine kills.
Set 4: Much the second set, the fourth set belonged to the Pack as they hit .351 and held SDM to an .091 attack percentage in picking up a 25-17 win and forcing a fifth set. Casey had five of the Pack's 15 kills in the set, while Harrington added four and hit .500.
Set 5: The fifth set was a back-and-forth affair as it featured nine ties and three lead changes. In the set, the Pack scored the first two points and led 4-2 when SDM used a 5-2 run capped by a Walsh kill to take a 7-6 lead. The teams would take turns trading points, until SDM closed the set by scoring the final four points after the Pack held a 12-11 lead following a kill by Casey. The Hardrockers sealed the 15-12 win on a set error by Jansen. The Pack were outhit, .321 to .083 in the set.
Up Next: The Pack will continue its four-match road swing next weekend (Sept. 29-30) as they step out of RMAC play to play two league schools in non-conference matches at Regis in Denver, Colo. The Pack will open the weekend with a 5 p.m. match on Friday, Sept. 29 against UCCS and then concludes the weekend with a 3 p.m. match on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Regis, who is tied for 16th in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Division II Coaches' Poll.
