Scott Kretzmann
ASC Sports
Information Director
The Grizzly volleyball squad found themselves in an early hole again on Saturday night after dropping the first set against New Mexico Highlands in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) match-up at Plachy Hall, but led by sophomore Deprece Washington (Johnstown, Colo.) who accounted for 14 kills, ASC worked their way back for a 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 26-24 victory.
Now with six straight wins under their belt, the Grizzlies are the owners of a 13-4 overall mark and 7-2 RMAC record. The win also puts the Grizzlies a full-game ahead of both Colorado State-Pueblo and Western New Mexico in the West standings. ASC’s 7-2 league mark is also tied for the second-best mark in all of the RMAC, and their 6-match winning streak is the second longest active streak in the league.
New Mexico Highlands (8-10, 3-6 RMAC) came out swinging, tallying 19 kills in the first set, with eight coming from Darian Mullen, who ranks second in the league in kills this season.
Washington was held without a kill in the first set, but came on to record five, four and five, respecitvley over the next three sets while the Grizzlies recorded 16 as a team in each. Washington also led the Grizzlies block party, getting in on three blocks in the match.
After holding the Cowgirls to a .088 clip in the second set, the Grizzlies came out of the break to hit .500 in the third, tallying 16 kills against just two errors to grab a 2-1 lead.
In the final set, ASC was outhit by a .233-.179 margin by NMHU, but capitalized on three Cowgirl service errors while recording three aces of their own.
The Grizzlies trailed 24-22 in the fourth, but a sophomore Letisha Spencer (Rio Rancho, N.M.) brought service back to ASC down by one. Spencer then served out the match on the next three points, thanks in part to two NMHU attacking errors and Spencer’s lone service ace of the night which gave the Grizzlies match point.
Sophomore Gabriella Rifilato (Bayfield, Colo.) reached the half-century mark in assists for the third time this season, tallying 52 in the win, while the Cowgirls recorded just 42 assists as a team. Rifilato also recorded a season-high six aces in the match, and ripped three in a row after taking over service with the Grizzlies trailing by one (9-10) in the third set. Her six aces in a match ties her for the third most in Division II-era (1992-93/present) history for the Grizzlies.
Senior AJ Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had 16 digs in the match, leading the way for the Grizzlies who had 57 in the matach.
Junior Dominique Davis (Denver, Colo.) equaled Washington’s team-leading 14 kills, while Spencer and sophomore Megan Tapia (Pueblo, Colo.) each tallied 11.
A long road trip against RMAC East foes awaits the Grizzlies next weekend as they travel to Nebraska on Thursday to face-off against Chadron State, before taking on UC-Colorado Springs and 9th-ranked Metro State on Friday and Saturday.
Chadron State and UC-Colorado Springs are at the bottom of the RMAC East standings. The Eagles are currently 4-16 overall and 0-9 in league play, while the Mountain Lions own records of 9-9 overall and 4-5 in the RMAC. The No. 9 Roadrunners are 14-4 on the season and 6-3 in the RMAC.
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