PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team split its two matches on the opening day of the Royce Cappis Invitational Friday inside Massari Arena, as the ThunderWolves dropped their opener to Minnesota Duluth before bouncing back with a four-set victory over Florida Tech.
The Pack opened the day with a 3-0 setback to Minnesota Duluth, falling 25-21, 25-16 and 25-19, before responding in the nightcap with a 25-22, 30-28, 18-25, 25-22 victory over Florida Tech. The split moved CSU Pueblo to 3-4 overall on the young season.
Minnesota Duluth 3, CSU Pueblo 0
CSU Pueblo battled throughout the opening set against Minnesota Duluth, but the Bulldogs were able to pull away late for the 25-21 win before carrying that momentum into the final two frames.
The Bulldogs were efficient offensively throughout the match, finishing with 48 kills and a .315 hitting percentage while committing just 14 attack errors. CSU Pueblo finished with 24 kills and hit .131.
Senior Lilly Zwart led the ThunderWolves offensively with eight kills on 22 swings while hitting .273, while Finja Schul turned in an extremely efficient performance with seven kills on just nine attacks and no errors for a .778 hitting percentage. Brianna Pino added six kills.
Kendall Schmitz led the setting effort with 15 assists, while Chinaru Pao anchored the back row with a team-high nine digs. CSU Pueblo and Minnesota Duluth each finished with five team blocks.
CSU Pueblo 3, Florida Tech 1
The ThunderWolves responded in a big way Friday night, taking down Florida Tech in four sets in front of 460 fans at Massari Arena.
CSU Pueblo set the tone early by taking the opening set 25-22. The Pack trailed 13-8 midway through the frame before working its way back into the set and eventually grabbing a 20-19 advantage. CSU Pueblo closed the frame strong to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set turned into a marathon, featuring 12 ties and eight lead changes. The ThunderWolves eventually found themselves tied at 28 before Schul put the Pack back in front with a kill and Grace Helzer followed with a service ace to close out the thrilling 30-28 victory and give CSU Pueblo a commanding two-set advantage.
Florida Tech answered with a 25-18 victory in the third, but the Pack refused to allow the Panthers to force a deciding fifth set. CSU Pueblo closed out the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth to secure its second victory in its last three matches.
Andi Nothdurft led a balanced CSU Pueblo offense in the victory, finishing with a career-high nine kills on just 14 swings while hitting a team-best .429. Zwart added eight kills, Pino recorded seven and both Schul and Helzer chipped in six.
The Pack also received a strong effort from its setters, as Schmitz dished out 20 assists while Madison Gardner added 10. Gardner also finished with 10 digs, while Pao led the defensive effort with 16 digs. Schmitz added three service aces as CSU Pueblo finished with nine aces as a team.
CSU Pueblo's defense played a major role in slowing down the Panthers, as Florida Tech committed 32 attack errors and hit just .106 for the match. The ThunderWolves also finished with 11 team blocks while holding Florida Tech to a negative hitting percentage (-.077) in the decisive fourth set.
The Pack will be back in action tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. inside Massari Arena as they host Adelphi University on the final day of the Royce Cappis Invitational.
