The Cowgirls Volleyball team fell to the Skyhawks of Fort Lewis College on 10-1 in four sets (25-16, 23-25, 17-25, 20-25) at the John A. Wilson Complex in Las Vegas, N.M.
During an explosive first set, Highlands traded points with the Skyhawks up to 11-11 when a kill from Junior Outside Hitter Ashley Nugent started a 9-3 run for the Cowgirls. Sophomore Defensive Specialist CiCi Cordova notched well timed digs and service aces that pushed the Cowgirl momentum towards the completion of the first set. At 16-14, Hannah Starbuck served a ball in the bottom of the net and kills from Nugent and Sophomore Middle Blocker Jazmine Harge started the 9-2 run to finish the first set 25-16.
Set two started favorably for the Cowgirls who earned one of the points in the first ten, mostly from Skyhawk errors. But at 5-5, Nugent's error started a momentum change as the Skyhawks took advantage of Highland's mistakes. As each team went on runs of two to three points, Fort Lewis ended up coming out on top of the set with a score of 25-23.
The third set proved to be more difficult for the Cowgirls as they gave up an insurmountable amount of unforced errors that were too costly to recover from. Tied neck and neck at 13 apiece, Ashley Wells buried a ball that spurred a 12-4 run for FLC, finishing set three 25-17.
The final set did not bode well for the Cowgirls as Fort Lewis had gained all the momentum in the match. Sophomore Outside Hitter Darian Mullen notched two early kills for the home team, but Stephanie Sonka answered right back and it became a battle of who wanted to win more. At 6-4, Highlands let Ft. Lewis creep back into the match with spurts of points that became a detriment for the home team. At one point, Highlands led by as much as five points, but determination was in favor of the visitors. Closing out set four, Jessica Wilson notched a kill to give the Skyhawks their first conference win, and making their overall record 4-11 (1-6 RMAC).
The Cowgirls fall to 8-8 (3-4 RMAC).
View the Complete Stats HERE
The Cowgirls host Western New Mexico on 10-6 at 7:00 pm.
GO COWGIRLS!!!
