by Andrew Kiser
Colorado Mesa University’s volleyball player Allison Smith stepped up with 19 kills to help lead the Mavs to a 3-1 victory against Adams State University on Saturday.
“I had a mindset of terminating every ball and staying aggressive throughout the match,” Smith said. “And I did not really let up on my swing at all and my setter Ali [Svorinic] had some great sets so I was able to swing hard to get those kills.”
“We knew she was a good player when we recruited her, but it takes a while to get use to the college game and our expectations,” head coach Dave Fleming said. “She was a big contributor to our victory tonight and we think she can get better.”
Smith had an uphill battle to begin her CMU career as she tore a part of her left abdominal during the first week of preseason and had to support her team on the sideline. But now she is healthy and helping the Mavericks to victories.
“Having a strong impact feels great as a freshman and to have a role on the team is a blessing,” Smith said. “I am very excited to be playing for Mesa and to contribute to the team anyway I can.”
Before Saturday’s game, the Mavericks played against the Fort Lewis Skyhawks in Durango. The team set the tone early as they easily won the first set, 25-12. CMU had 21 kills and only two errors, while Fort Lewis had a mere seven kills.
The next set was closer as the Skyhawks found themselves down, 23-21. But two kills by Mackenzie Edwards and Gabriela Dias helped the Mavericks put away the set. The third and final set saw the Mavericks once again easily take control of the Skyhawks as they won 25-17.
Edwards led the Mavericks in kills with 13 and added 13 digs. Hattie Gianinetti and Gabriela Dias both added 11 digs and Svorinic had 43 of the team’s 48 assists.
The team then traveled to Alamosa to take on the Grizzlies. The first set saw the Mavericks come out strong as they took the first set, 25-18.
In the second set, CMU committed 10 errors that the Grizzlies capitalized on and they won the set, 25-21.
“We started out with a few attacking and passing errors earlier in the set and then Edwards came down on a girl’s foot on the other side of the net,” Fleming said. “She had to step out for five or six plays and that took the wind out of our sails.”
The third set began with the Mavericks setting the pace early with a 5-1 lead, which the Grizzlies could not recover from. CMU won the set, 25-17. The Mavericks had 17 kills in the set compared to ASU’s six.
“The adjustment [in the third set] was body language and energy level that had to be consistent no matter the outcome of the rally was,” Fleming said. “We thought we were more physical team and could do more damage.”
At the beginning of the fourth set, both teams traded points back and forth. But, with the score tied at 10 all, the Mavericks rattled off six straight points to take a noticeable lead.
The Grizzlies made a run to cut the lead to two at 19-17 but then Fleming called a timeout. The team once again went on a roll winning five out of the next six points and they closed out the game and won, 25-18.
Edwards finished with a double-double, 15 kills and 21 digs, while Svorinic finished with 58 out of the team’s 64 assists.
“It was a huge win for us because we are dealing with adversity, we have a few sick kids that are back at home and big contributors for us,” Fleming said.
With the pair of wins over the weekend the Mavericks are 11-3 on the season. The team only lost one set over the two games.
After playing only one home game in their first 14 games this season, CMU will play the next four games at home. The Maverick’s next game will be against CSU-Pueblo at 7 p.m., Oct. 7, at Brownson Arena.
