LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo Volleyball battled Colorado Christian University through four tightly contested sets Tuesday evening, but the ThunderWolves came up just short in a 3-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference loss inside the CCU Event Center.
Colorado Christian took the match by scores of 25-22, 21-25, 25-23 and 27-25. With the loss, CSU Pueblo moves to 8-8 overall and 3-2 in RMAC play, while CCU improves to 7-6 overall and 4-1 in conference action.
Senior Lilly Zwart led the Pack offensively with 19 kills while hitting .326 on 43 swings. Zwart also added seven digs and two total blocks to finish with a team-high 20.5 points. Finja Schul turned in another strong all-around performance with 11 kills on a .375 hitting percentage, four blocks, four digs and two service aces.
Andi Nothdurft added seven kills and a team-high six blocks, while Emma Luce chipped in seven kills. Defensively, Chinaru Pao led CSU Pueblo with 16 digs, while Madison Gardner handed out 28 assists to go along with nine digs. Kendall Schmitz added 14 assists and nine digs.
The ThunderWolves came out strong in the opening set and built a 14-8 advantage behind a balanced attack that included early kills from Zwart, Luce, Schul and Nothdurft. Colorado Christian battled back to tie the frame at 17-all before eventually grabbing a 22-20 advantage. CSU Pueblo stayed within striking distance, cutting the deficit to 23-22 on a Zwart kill, but CCU claimed the final two points to take the opener 25-22.
The Pack answered immediately in the second. CSU Pueblo raced out to a 6-1 lead as Schul sparked the run with a kill and service ace, while Zwart and Nothdurft also found the floor. CCU eventually fought back into the set, but the ThunderWolves regained control late. With CSU Pueblo leading 21-20, the Pack scored three straight points to reach set point before Schul closed out the 25-21 victory with a kill. CSU Pueblo hit a match-best .345 in the second set with 14 kills and only four errors.
Colorado Christian regained the momentum in a back-and-forth third set, eventually building a 21-17 lead. CSU Pueblo refused to go away, using a late push to surge ahead 22-21. CCU responded with three consecutive points to reach set point at 24-22. The Pack fought off the first opportunity, but Colorado Christian finished the frame on the next rally to escape with a 25-23 win and take a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set proved to be the closest of the night. CSU Pueblo held a 20-17 advantage late and remained in front 24-22 after a block from Nothdurft and Natalie Mobley brought the Pack to set point. Colorado Christian answered with two straight points to tie the frame at 24 before Zwart delivered her 19th kill of the night to give CSU Pueblo another set point at 25-24. CCU again responded, scoring the final three points to take the set 27-25 and close out the match.
CSU Pueblo finished the night with 51 kills, 67 digs, five service aces and 11 total blocks while hitting .201 as a team. The ThunderWolves held an 11-8 advantage in blocks, while Colorado Christian finished with 65 kills and a .232 hitting percentage.
The final score reflected just how competitive the match was, as the four sets featured a combined 40 ties and 25 lead changes.
