GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado — On Saturday, September 5, the Adams State Volleyball team played its final two matches of the Volley in the Valley tournament, facing Fort Hays State and tournament host Colorado Mesa. The Grizzlies opened the day with an impressive five-set victory over Fort Hays State, defeating the Tigers 3-2. Adams State battled through a tightly contested match to earn the win over Fort Hays State, which entered the match with a 6-1 record. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies were unable to carry that momentum into their evening matchup against Colorado Mesa. Adams State fell to the host Mavericks in straight sets, giving the Grizzlies a split on the final day of the tournament. The split moves Adams State to 3-6 overall as the Grizzlies near the end of their preseason schedule.
Match 1 (Adams State vs. Fort Hays State)
Adams State Volleyball earned a hard-fought five-set victory over Fort Hays State on Saturday morning, defeating the Tigers 3-2 inside Brownson Arena. The Grizzlies claimed the match by scores of 25-23, 18-25, 26-24, 17-25 and 18-16. The victory moves Adams State to 3-5 overall on the season.
The Grizzlies showed resilience throughout the match, particularly in the opening and fifth sets. Adams State held off Fort Hays State in a tightly contested first set, earning a 25-23 victory before the Tigers responded with a 25-18 win in the second set.
Adams State regained the advantage in the third set, surviving another back-and-forth battle to earn a 26-24 victory. Fort Hays State answered once again in the fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth set with a 25-17 win.
With the match on the line, neither team was willing to give in during the fifth set. The Grizzlies and Tigers battled through seven tie scores before Adams State ultimately secured the 18-16 victory to claim the match.
Sienna Markovich and Aubrey Rothermich led the Adams State offense with 19 kills each. Markovich added two service aces and nine digs, finishing with a team-high 21.5 points. Rothermich also contributed a service ace as the Grizzlies relied on a balanced offensive effort throughout the match.
Elsewhere for the Grizzlies, Carolisa Folau added 11 kills, while Rowan Tribelhorn recorded five kills and three total blocks. Nora Conway contributed three kills, two service aces and three block assists.
Setter Isabella DeLaRosa directed the Adams State offense with 48 assists while also adding two service aces and 13 digs.
Defensively, Ashlyn Jones led the Grizzlies with 35 digs. DeLaRosa added 13 digs, while Folau finished with 10 and Markovich recorded nine.
Adams State finished the match with 59 kills and eight service aces. The Grizzlies saved their best offensive performance for the decisive fifth set, hitting .333 with 14 kills and just two errors to complete the comeback victory.
Match 2 (Adams State vs. Colorado Mesa)
In the Grizzlies second match of the day they fell to Colorado Mesa University in straight sets on Saturday evening at Brownson Arena, dropping the match 25-12, 25-18 and 25-16.The loss moves the Grizzlies to 3-6 overall, while Colorado Mesa improved to 6-2.
Adams State was unable to carry the momentum from its five-set victory over Fort Hays State earlier in the day, as Colorado Mesa used an efficient offensive performance to earn the sweep. The Mavericks finished the match with a .324 hitting percentage while recording 44 kills.
Aubrey Rothermich led the Grizzlies offensively with 10 kills while hitting .333. Isa Folau added nine kills, while Sienna Markovich finished with seven. Overall, Adams State totaled 31 kills and hit .151 as a team.
The Mavericks established control early, hitting .455 in the opening set behind 18 kills and just three errors. Colorado Mesa claimed the first set 25-12 before taking the second set 25-18. The Grizzlies battled throughout the third set but were unable to extend the match, falling 25-16 to complete the three-set sweep.
Setter Isabella DeLaRosa finished with 24 assists and added five digs leading the offense, while Ashlyn Jones led the Adams State defense with 13 digs. Carolisa Folau followed suit recording nine and Taylor Matthews added eight.
At the net, Katie Bauer contributed four total blocks, including one solo block and three block assists. Bauer also added three kills.
Despite the loss, Adams State finished its Saturday schedule with a victory over Fort Hays State before facing the host Mavericks in the evening match. The Saturday split gives the Grizzlies a record of 2-2 in the Volley in the Valley tournament. The Grizzlies will now turn their attention toward the remainder of the 2026 season as they prepare for their upcoming competition.
Looking Forward
The Grizzlies next match will be this upcoming Tuesday, September 8th against Western New Mexico. The match will be played in Silver City, New Mexico at the home of Western New Mexico, with the match beginning at 6 PM MST. The Grizzlies will look to get on a roll Tuesday as their game against Western New Mexico will be their final nonconference game before RMAC play begins next Friday, September 11th.
