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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
SportsVolleyball

Volleyball team upsets UCCS, loses to Metro

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With volleyball season coming to an end, the Eagles picked up a win against the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in four sets but dropped three sets against Metropolitan State University-Denver on their road trip to Colorado. The Eagles are currently ranked fifth in the Rocky Division of the RMAC with an overall record of 7-16, 6-9 in conference play.

Lelailelei Nomura (1), senior of Pago Pago, American Samoa, serves Friday, Oct. 16, during a set against Colorado School of Mines in the Chicoine Events Center.—File Photo by Teri Robinson
Lelailelei Nomura (1), senior of Pago Pago, American Samoa, serves Friday, Oct. 16, during a set against Colorado School of Mines in the Chicoine Events Center.—File Photo by Teri Robinson

“It was great to win at Colorado Springs, we are very proud of that win,” junior Alia Brennan, of Chadron, said. “We really did shock a lot of people.”

In the first game the Eagles faced off against UCCS, offensively the Eagles dominated in just about every statistical category while having fewer errors than the Mountain Lions.

The Eagles were led by Rudy Leasau, junior of LaMesa, California, who had a total of 21 kills which was the high for both teams. Sina Mauga, senior of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, contributed 12 kills. Both players combined for 33 of the team’s 59 total kills.

Alexis Farris, sophomore of Blair, and Sierra Winkle, freshman of Tucson, Arizona, both recorded two kills apiece in an effort to press the Eagles farther ahead.

Defensively, Winkle had a key role in keeping the Eagles ahead by leading the team in digs with 17, and Madison Webb, freshman of Loveland, Colorado, also had a good defensive showing by contributing 16 kills. The two combined for 33 of the team’s 66 total digs.

Mauga and Lelalelei Nomura, senior of Pago Pago, American Samoa, both had three blocks which led both teams for that evening.

The Eagles came out aggressive and made few errors in the four-set match and the stats showed this by the Eagles dominating the stat sheet while having the least amount of errors, which all played a factor in the Eagles winning this game, 3-1.

In the second game of the weekend, the Eagles played MSU-Denver hoping to ride the momentum of a big win at UCCS the previous day. The Eagles were led offensively by Nomura who had a total of eight kills. Leasau was not too far behind her with a total of seven kills that evening and Gaby Varela, sophomore of Dorado, Puerto Rico, had six kills. Webb also had a team high 30 assists on the evening.

The Eagles defense was anchored by Leasau who had a total of nine digs, Winkle also had eight and Jamie McLain, senior of Chadron, had a total of seven kills. The trio contributed 24 of the teams 38 total digs. Also the Eagles were again led in blocks by Nomura and Mauga, who both had two blocks in an effort to keep the Eagles sound on the defensive end of the floor. The Eagles couldn’t pull off a much needed upset against the Roadrunners who capitalized on the mistakes of the Eagles team, eventually going on to win the game in three sets.

“Metro was a little tougher for us but we learned a lot about how well we can play,” Brennan said about the loss to MSU-Denver

The Eagles will play against South Dakota School of Mines, Friday, and Black Hills State University, Saturday. Game times are set for 7 p.m. at the Chicoine Events Center.