ALAMOSA, Colo. – Facing a two-set deficit to visiting Westminster College (UT), Adams State roared back to win the next two sets and tied as late at 15-15 in the fifth, but the Griffins withstood the fierce Grizzlies challenge and escaped with a 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 17-15 win.
Cindy Garcia hammered home a match-high and career-best 25 kills, with
Riley Rabedeaux (14) and
Anna Huggins (12) joining Garcia with double-figure kill efforts as the Grizzlies fall to 4-8 overall and 1-3 in RMAC play.
Westminster opened an early 7-2 lead to kick off the match before a pair of Griffin attack errors brought ASU to within 7-6. Adams State regained its lead at 10-9 on another WC attack error, pushing it to 19-12 on another Griffin miscue.
That's when WC composed itself, going on an 11-4 run to knot the set at 23-23 and taking advantage of a pair of ASU errors to close the opener.
The Griffins used that momentum to take an early lead in set two, before the Grizzlies rode Garcia's hot serve to take a 12-9 edge. WC answered with a 6-0 run of its own to regain control, keeping ASU at wing's length the rest of the frame en route to a 25-23 win for a commanding two-sets-to-none lead.
Looking to put the match away in three, WC again took an early lead at 6-3, increasing its edge to 12-7 10 points later. Behind Hennesey Mortensen's serve and a pair of kills by Huggins, however, ASU clawed back to within 13-12, eventually taking the lead at 14-13 on a WC error.
With WC leading 22-20 and looking to close out the match, a blast by Huggins and three-straight putaways by a red-hot Garcia brought ASU to set point at 24-22 and, after a side out by WC, captured the frame on the final hammer of the set by Garcia.
Looking to stave off defeat, ASU took a 10-8 lead on a
Shae Sapiga service ace in set four, pushing its edge to 15-9 on another Garcia flush.
ASU maintained at least a 3-point lead the rest of the frame until WC crept to within two points at 24-22, only to have the teams split the next two points as ASU tied match at two sets apiece to force a winner-take-all fifth in front of a raucous and vocal Plachy Hall.
With momentum on their side, the Grizzlies stormed out of the gate in the fifth, taking a 4-1 lead behind a pair of Garcia kills and two WC errors.
The visitors, however, caught ASU at 4-4, providing a harbinger of things to come.
Tying again nine more times, with the last coming at 15-15, WC used kills by Lydia Miller and Mailei Myers to quell the would-be ASU rally, taking the set, 17-15, and the marathon match, 3-2.
Garcia hit .352 for the match and tallied 27 total points, both match highs.
ASU looks to get back in the win column next Friday as the Grizzlies travel to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, having previously lost twice to the Mountain Lions in non-conference tournament matches earlier this year.
