Eagles extend RMAC win streak
By Eben Rosentrater
The CSC volleyball team improved to fifth in the RMAC this weekend after downing the Skyhawks of Fort Lewis in five sets and sweeping the Mountaineers of Western Colorado to improve to 5-1 in conference play and 7-8 overall.
After being swept by Texas A&M-Kingsville last Tuesday, the Eagles were eager to get back on the court and get back to conference play. The team proved as much with an outstanding performance in both Friday and Saturday’s match.
“The weekend went pretty well for us, especially considering that we didn’t do as good as we felt we should of on Tuesday,” CSC Head Volleyball Coach Jennifer Stadler said. “It was good to see the team respond well and come back with some grit and some fire.”
The Eagles started off well during Friday’s match against the Skyhawks. The team set the tone of the match after scoring four straight points to open the first set. After that, it was a back-and-forth battle for most of the match.
The Eagles claimed the first two sets of the match but were slowly worn down by the Skyhawks who battled through and took sets three and four. Going into the fifth set, Fort Lewis had all the momentum. However, that momentum was quickly taken away as the Eagles jumped out to an 11-1 lead. That eleven-point rally would prove to be too much for the Skyhawks as the Eagles won the final set of the match 15-4.
“We faced some adversity going into that fifth set. Some shifts in player positioning put us out of our rhythm,” Stadler said, “but as we settled in, especially in that fourth set, things started to click again, and our girls were just playing with more confidence.”
The team would carry that confidence into Saturday’s match against the Western Colorado Mountaineers. After allowing the Mountaineers to go on a six-point run in the beginning of the first set, the Eagles quickly gained back the lead and never let it go for the rest of match. The two teams went back and forth for the rest of match, but the Eagles high-flying offense and steadfast defense was too much for Western Colorado as CSC went on to win in three sets.
Offensively, the Eagles were led this weekend by Bella Adams, freshman of Pueblo, Colorado, who recorded 21 kills, earning herself a .500 hitting percentage during Saturday’s match. Mayson Fago, sophomore of Evans, Colorado, and Rylee Greiman, junior of Windsor, Colorado, also recorded 33 combined kills over the weekend.
“Our offense has continued to improve every game throughout the season,” Stadler said. “It was nice to hit over .200 like we did on Saturday. That’s one of our goals every match, and it was nice to see our players be able to accomplish that.”
Defensively, the Eagles were led yet again by Aiyana Fujiyama, sophomore of Wahiawa, Hawaii, who recorded 17 total blocks over the weekend. Adams was also a strong force at the net with another 11 blocks. As for digs, the team was led by Kiera Alfred, freshman of Pheonix, who recorded 26 digs. “At the net, we’re having a lot of success. Lots of our players are getting good touches which makes playing defense that much easier,” Stadler said, “but I think the most important part is that we’re seeing a lot of good hustle and great playmaking.”
As for next weekend, the Eagles will be traveling to Las Vegas, New Mexico to take on the Cowgirls of New Mexico Highlands on Friday, and then will travel to Alamosa, Colorado to take on the Grizzlies of Adams State on Saturday.