PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team bounced back in a big way Saturday evening, returning to the win column with a straight-set victory over Black Hills State inside Massari Arena.
The ThunderWolves controlled the match from start to finish, taking down the Yellow Jackets 25-19, 25-19 and 25-20. With the victory, CSU Pueblo improved to 3-1 in RMAC play and moved into a six-way tie for first place in the conference standings.
CSU Pueblo finished the night with 45 kills while hitting .267 as a team and held Black Hills State to a .115 hitting percentage. The Pack also held a commanding advantage at the net with 10 team blocks compared to just one for the Yellow Jackets.
Senior Lilly Zwart led a balanced ThunderWolves attack with 12 kills on 28 swings while committing just one error to hit .393. Brianna Pino joined her in double figures with 10 kills, while senior Finja Schul added eight kills and hit .312. Schul was also a force defensively at the net, recording three solo blocks and six block assists.
The Pack also received four kills apiece from Grace Helzer and Andi Nothdurft, with Helzer hitting .308 without an attack error. CSU Pueblo's two-setter system saw Madison Gardner finish with 18 assists and eight digs, while Kendall Schmitz added 17 assists and eight digs. Chinaru Pao paced the back row with 14 digs, while Kacee Garcia and Nicole Monge each chipped in 11. Monge also recorded both of CSU Pueblo's service aces.
CSU Pueblo and Black Hills State went back and forth throughout the opening stages of the first set before the ThunderWolves began to create separation. With the score tied at 10, Zwart put down a kill before the Pack forced three consecutive Yellow Jacket attack errors to take a 14-10 advantage.
CSU Pueblo later pushed its lead to 19-13 behind a Pino kill and a Monge service ace. Black Hills State made a late push, but the Pack shut the door as Helzer, Nothdurft and Zwart supplied kills down the stretch to secure the 25-19 opening-set win.
The ThunderWolves were at their most efficient offensively in the second set, hitting .378 with 16 kills and just two attack errors. After the teams played to a 3-3 tie, the Pack began to pull away, building an 8-4 advantage behind kills from Pino, Helzer and Schul.
CSU Pueblo extended the margin to 15-9 before Black Hills State answered and eventually cut the deficit to 18-16. The Pack never allowed the Yellow Jackets to get any closer, using a strong finish to claim another 25-19 victory and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Black Hills State came out aggressively in the third and built an early advantage before CSU Pueblo began chipping away. The Yellow Jackets later led 14-10, but the ThunderWolves completely flipped the momentum with a decisive run.
Schul sparked the rally with a kill and later added another before teaming with Helzer for consecutive blocks as the Pack surged in front. CSU Pueblo continued to apply pressure at the net and never surrendered the lead from there.
Zwart delivered several key kills during the closing stretch as the ThunderWolves pushed toward match point. Black Hills State fought off multiple match points, but Pao eventually ended the night with a kill to give CSU Pueblo the 25-20 set victory and complete the sweep.
The ThunderWolves finished the evening with just 10 attack errors in 131 swings while forcing Black Hills State into 23 errors. CSU Pueblo also collected 72 digs as a team, showcasing a balanced effort on both sides of the net as the Pack rebounded from Friday night's setback and moved into a six-way tie atop the RMAC standings at 3-1 in conference play.
