GUNNISON, Colo. (Nov. 6, 2026) – With their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team delivered when it mattered most Friday evening, sweeping Western Colorado in straight sets (25-18, 29-27, 25-21) inside Paul Wright Gymnasium to keep its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament aspirations alive.
The victory sets up a winner-take-all showdown Saturday evening in Durango, Colo., as the ThunderWolves travel to face Fort Lewis College with the eighth and final spot in the RMAC Tournament on the line.
With the win, CSU Pueblo improves to 12-14 overall and 6-7 in RMAC play, while Western Colorado falls to 10-15 overall and 4-9 in conference action.
Senior outside hitter Lilly Zwart (Pueblo, Colo.) powered the ThunderWolves offensively, recording a match-high 20 kills on 58 swings, while fellow senior Andi Nothdurft (Gilbert, Ariz.) anchored the defense with six total blocks, including two solo stops, to go along with six kills and a .357 hitting percentage.
Junior Brianna Pino added 10 kills and six digs, while Finja Schul contributed six kills on a team-best .417 hitting percentage. Schul committed just one attacking error on 12 swings.
Senior setter Kendall Schmitz (Lee's Summit, Mo.) directed the ThunderWolves' offense with 35 assists, 12 digs and two service aces, recording a double-double in the victory.
Defensively, senior libero Chinaru Pao (Tenri, Japan) collected a team-high 14 digs, while Schmitz added 12 and Nicole Monge finished with eight.
As a team, CSU Pueblo finished with 46 kills and a .233 hitting percentage, while holding Western Colorado to a .112 attacking percentage. The ThunderWolves also recorded 60 digs and seven total team blocks.
How It Happened
Set One: CSU Pueblo 25, Western Colorado 18
The ThunderWolves came out firing in the opening set, jumping ahead early before using a decisive run midway through the frame to take control.
Leading 11-8, CSU Pueblo rattled off four consecutive points, highlighted by a Zwart kill and a pair of defensive stops involving Nothdurft, to build a 15-8 advantage.
Western Colorado responded with a 7-1 run to trim the deficit to 16-15, but the Pack refused to surrender its lead.
CSU Pueblo answered by scoring five of the next six points to regain control at 21-16 before closing the opening set with a 25-18 victory.
The ThunderWolves hit .242 in the first set while limiting the Mountaineers to a .028 hitting percentage.
Set Two: CSU Pueblo 29, Western Colorado 27
The second set proved to be the turning point of the evening, as CSU Pueblo erased a six-point deficit late in the frame to take a commanding 2-0 match advantage.
After the teams traded points throughout the opening half of the set, Western Colorado used a 6-0 run to turn a 16-16 tie into a 22-16 advantage.
Facing a potential set loss, the ThunderWolves mounted a remarkable comeback.
Trailing 23-18, CSU Pueblo scored six consecutive points behind the serving of Schmitz. Nothdurft delivered two crucial kills during the rally, while Zwart and Natalie Mobley each added a kill to give the Pack a 24-23 advantage.
The Mountaineers fought off set point and later held opportunities to close out the frame at 25-24, 26-25 and 27-26.
However, CSU Pueblo answered each challenge.
With the set tied at 27, Schul delivered a crucial kill to give the ThunderWolves another set point before a Western Colorado attacking error completed the comeback and secured a dramatic 29-27 victory.
The Pack recorded 17 kills in the second set and hit .231.
Set Three: CSU Pueblo 25, Western Colorado 21
With the sweep in sight, CSU Pueblo wasted little time establishing control of the third set.
After falling behind 1-0, Schmitz sparked a four-point run that included two service aces to put the ThunderWolves ahead 4-1.
CSU Pueblo stretched its advantage to 12-6 behind contributions from Zwart, Schul and Nothdurft, but Western Colorado refused to go away.
The Mountaineers rallied to even the set at 15-15 before Pino delivered a key kill to return the lead to CSU Pueblo.
The ThunderWolves followed with another three consecutive points to build an 18-15 advantage and eventually extended the margin to 21-16.
Western Colorado trimmed the deficit to 23-21 late, but Zwart answered with her 20th kill of the evening to bring up match point.
A Mountaineer attacking error on the ensuing rally sealed the 25-21 set victory and completed the straight-set sweep, sending the ThunderWolves to Durango with their postseason hopes still alive.
Up Next
The ThunderWolves now turn their attention to Saturday's regular-season finale against Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., where the stakes could not be higher.
With both programs battling for the eighth and final berth in the 2026 RMAC Volleyball Tournament, Saturday's contest will serve as a winner-take-all showdown for a spot in the conference postseason.
CSU Pueblo will look to complete its late-season push and secure a second consecutive RMAC Tournament appearance under second-year head coach Jordan Bruere.
Bruere, who spent two seasons as the head coach at Western Colorado from 2023-24 before returning to her alma mater ahead of the 2025 campaign, now has her ThunderWolves one victory away from extending their season.
A victory over Fort Lewis would punch CSU Pueblo's ticket to the RMAC Tournament, while a loss would bring the ThunderWolves' season to an end.
