The Mavericks lost in four sets in the first round of the NCAA to University of Texas-Tyler (UTT) to finish off their season.
Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) volleyball team headed to Denver Colo., where Metro State University-Denver was hosting the South Central Region portion of the NCAA tournament. The Mavericks were ranked No.3 in the South Central region while the Patriots were ranked No.6.
The game started off by each team having an attack error. But then freshman outside hitter Sydney Leffler was able to find a pass from redshirt freshman setter Sabrina VanDeList to get the Mavericks the ball.
In a back and forth match, both teams were able to capitalize off of attack errors that the other team put up. The Patriots only had three errors in the first set but throughout the match had up to eight errors. The Mavericks had six attack errors in the first set alone. They were able to limit those to three in the second set which helped them get the victory of UTT.
“ It was very important to limit our errors. It helped our momentum and brought us success in the second set,” VanDeList said.
Mikayla Ware dominated for the Patriots and did not slow down throughout the four set match. She had four kills in the opening set and also helped her team defensively throughout the match by having 19 digs in the back row. Ware continued to perform as she finished the day with 15 kills.
Offensively for the Patriots, they were able to get set up from whoever they needed to be in that position. Adeline Ortman finished with 25 assists while Callie Craus had 30. Christina Escamilla was another hitter UTT was able to turn to and led her team with a hitting percentage of .529.
Redshirt junior right side hitter Ashton Reece had four kills herself in the first set as she helped the Mavericks attack from the right. Reece also came up with a service ace at the line in the first set. She was able to be consistent throughout the match, as she finished out the game with eight kills and only four attack errors.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Holly Schmidt led the Mavericks in kills as she had 16 throughout the match. Leffler was able to help her on the outside as well with nine kills of her own. Redshirt junior middle blocker Tye Wedhorn was also able to put up double digits in kills as she was able to find the floor 12 times.
VanDeList helped out offensively as she had four kills, but was able to record 44 assists against the Patriots. VanDeList continued to be strong from behind the service line as she put down four aces.
“We had a very good season but we are not satisfied. We know how good we can be and there is a brighter future ahead. This game fueled the fire for next year.”, VanDeList said.
The Mavericks finished their season with a record of 21-7. They continued to find success at home as they went 9-1 in Brownson Arena. Leffler finishes the season leading the team in kills with 340 while VanDeList leads the team in assists with 1,126.
