ALAMOSA, Colorado — In today's match, the Grizzlies took the win against Western Colorado 3 sets to 2. The Grizzlies won sets 1 and 4 before taking the pivotal 5th set to take the home match. In sets 1, 4, and 5, the Grizzlies won 25-17, 25-16, and 15-12, respectively. The win puts the Grizzlies at a record of 11-10(6-4 RMAC).
Today's match was determined by the Grizzlies' ability to have a successful offensive attack while also limiting their set errors. In the three sets that the Grizzlies won tonight, they committed a total of five errors, whereas in the two sets that Western Colorado won, the Grizzlies committed 22 errors. When the Grizzlies played error-free volleyball, their offense took over, leading to dominant wins in two of the three sets they won in today's match.
Statistically, today, the Grizzlies were able to take a lead in every major category outside of assists, in which they and Western Colorado tied. In points, the Grizzlies had a large edge despite only winning 3 sets to 2 by collecting 80 points to Western Colorado's 64. Kills the Grizzlies had a slight edge, 57 to 52; serving aces the Grizzlies collected 5 compared to the 3 by Western; blocks the Grizzlies dominated by collecting 18 to the 9 by Western. The large margin in blocks was a massive piece in the Grizzlies' ability to win today's match, as the defense was able to carry the Grizzlies at times during today's match.
Individually, for the Grizzlies, they were led by Hadleigh Richardson, Katie Bauer, and Isabella DeLaRosa. Richardson led the Grizzlies in kills with 15, while Bauer was second in kills with 12, and also collected 1 serving ace. DeLaRosa filled up the stat sheet today, collecting 2 serving aces, 16 assists, and 12 digs on the match. DeLaRosa's 2 aces and 16 assists led the Grizzlies today, while her 12 digs were second on the team. On top of the great performances by these three women, Peyton Priddy also filled up the stat sheet in today's match as she collected 1 serving ace, 9 assists, and 10 digs.
Next up for the Grizzlies will be another match against Western Colorado when the Grizzlies head to the RMAC Power Pod hosted by Westminster University in Utah. The RMAC Power Pod will be two matches, with the second being against the host team, Westminster, with both games being held in Salt Lake City, Utah, the home of Westminster. The Grizzlies' first match in the pod will be at 6 PM MST on Friday, October 31st, with the second match coming the following day on Saturday, November 1st, at 4 PM MST. The two pod matches will not count towards the Grizzlies' RMAC conference record, but will be a great opportunity for the Grizzlies to again get on a winning streak before the RMAC conference tournament at the end of the season.
