PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team concluded the 2026 Royce Cappis Invitational on Saturday inside Massari Arena, dropping a five-set battle to Adelphi University before falling in four sets to Fort Lewis College.
The ThunderWolves finished their home invitational with a 1-3 record and move to 3-6 overall on the season. CSU Pueblo opened the tournament Friday with a three-set loss to Minnesota Duluth before responding with a four-set victory over Florida Tech. The Pack then dropped matches to Adelphi and Fort Lewis on Saturday.
CSU Pueblo opened Saturday with a heartbreaker against Adelphi, as the Panthers rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat the ThunderWolves in five sets, 19-25, 11-25, 27-25, 25-23 and 15-13.
The Pack came out firing in the opening two sets, hitting .345 in the first and .357 in the second while committing just three total attacking errors between the two frames. CSU Pueblo controlled the opener 25-19 before dominating the second set 25-11 to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Adelphi refused to go away, edging the ThunderWolves 27-25 in a back-and-forth third set before taking the fourth 25-23 to force a decisive fifth. The Panthers carried their momentum into the final frame and escaped with a 15-13 victory.
Despite the loss, CSU Pueblo held several advantages statistically. The ThunderWolves outhit Adelphi .213 to .147 and dominated at the net with 13.5 team blocks compared to just four for the Panthers. The Pack also recorded seven service aces while committing just three reception errors.
Senior Lilly Zwart turned in one of her strongest offensive performances of the young season, leading the Pack with 17 kills on just 36 swings while committing only two errors for a .417 hitting percentage. Emma Luce joined her in double figures with 10 kills and added five block assists.
Andi Nothdurft continued to make her presence felt at the net, finishing with eight kills along with three solo blocks and four block assists. Finja Schul added five kills and six block assists, while Grace Helzer chipped in four kills and three block assists.
The Pack used a balanced setting attack, with Kendall Schmitz finishing with 20 assists and 11 digs for a double-double, while Madison Gardner dished out 15 assists. Chinaru Pao anchored the back row with a team-high 17 digs, while Kacee Garcia added 14.
CSU Pueblo returned to the floor Saturday evening to close out the tournament against fellow RMAC member Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks took the match in four sets, 3-1, handing the ThunderWolves their third loss of the invitational.
The Pack's lone victory of the weekend came Friday evening against Florida Tech, when CSU Pueblo responded from its opening loss to Minnesota Duluth with a 25-22, 30-28, 18-25, 25-22 victory. Nothdurft recorded a career-high nine kills while hitting .429, and the ThunderWolves finished the match with 12 service aces and 11 team blocks. Pao led the defensive effort with 16 digs.
Earlier Friday, the Pack fell to Minnesota Duluth 25-21, 25-16 and 25-19. Zwart led CSU Pueblo with eight kills, while Schul finished with seven kills on nine attacks and hit an impressive .778.
Up next for the Pack is Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, as the ThunderWolves will head to Denver to take on Regis University on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7:00 p.m.
