PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team wrapped up its Homecoming weekend Saturday evening at Massari Arena, falling in straight sets to defending NCAA Division II National Champion MSU Denver (25-19, 26-24, 25-11) in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.
With the loss, the ThunderWolves move to 9-12 overall and 4-6 in RMAC play, while the Roadrunners improve to 14-6 overall and 9-1 in conference action.
Senior outside hitter Lilly Zwart paced the ThunderWolves offensively, finishing with a team-high 11 kills and nine digs. Junior Brianna Pino added eight kills on a .231 hitting percentage, while sophomore Finja Schul contributed five kills and a block assist.
The ThunderWolves utilized a balanced setting attack throughout the evening, with Madison Gardner recording a team-high 13 assists, while Kendall Schmitz added 11 assists. Defensively, Zwart led the Pack with nine digs, followed by Kacee Garcia and Chinaru Pao with eight apiece.
MSU Denver opened the contest with a strong offensive performance, recording 15 kills on a .343 hitting percentage in the opening frame. Despite 11 kills from the ThunderWolves, the Roadrunners claimed the first set by a score of 25-19 to take an early advantage.
The second set proved to be the most competitive of the evening, featuring 18 ties and seven lead changes as the ThunderWolves went toe-to-toe with the defending national champions.
CSU Pueblo delivered its strongest offensive performance of the match in the second frame, registering 13 kills against just two attacking errors for a .275 hitting percentage. However, MSU Denver countered with 19 kills of its own and narrowly escaped with a 26-24 victory to take a commanding two-set advantage.
Following the closely contested second set, the Roadrunners carried their momentum into the third frame, limiting the ThunderWolves to six kills while recording 14 of their own. MSU Denver closed out the match with a 25-11 victory to secure the conference sweep.
As a team, CSU Pueblo finished with 30 kills, 26 assists, 47 digs and two service aces while hitting .130 for the match. The Roadrunners recorded 48 kills on a .302 hitting percentage, along with 56 digs and seven service aces.
MSU Denver was led offensively by Brooke Gennerman, who finished with a match-high 14 kills on a .481 hitting percentage, along with three service aces and 11 digs. Hayden Liebsack added 13 kills and 12 digs, while Kamdyn Scott contributed 10 kills.
Despite the setback, the ThunderWolves demonstrated their ability to compete with one of the conference's top programs, particularly during a tightly contested second set that featured 18 ties.
The ThunderWolves will now turn their attention toward the remainder of their RMAC schedule as they continue their push toward postseason play.
