The Fort Lewis College volleyball team battled but ultimately fell 3-1 (25-16, 18-25, 25-22, 25-17) to No. 8 Colorado School of Mines in conference play Saturday night in Whalen Gymnasium.

The Skyhawks dropped to 2-8 overall and 2-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with the loss, while the Orediggers improved to 13-1 overall and 6-0 in the league.

Fort Lewis hit .215 for the match compared with .356 for Mines. The Skyhawks held an edge in aces (6-4) and blocks (7-3) for the match. Sophomore Chay Swenson had 11 kills, leading the team in kills for the second consecutive match. Junior Payton Harmann coordinated the offense with 36 assists to go along with a team-high 13 digs. Junior Rylee Johnson was stout at the net with four blocks.

“Today we looked relentless on the court. We knew that we needed to attack this team with an aggressive attitude because they are one of the top teams in the nation for a reason,” said head coach Giedre Tarnauskaite. “Holding back wasn't an option, and I'm really proud of how we stayed composed during some of the big moments.”

In the second set, Fort Lewis attackers tallied kills early to help take an 8-5 lead. The Skyhawks continued to fight off the Orediggers, keeping the opposition from going on a scoring run. Fort Lewis took a 20-14 advantage after a 4-0 run capped with a block from Johnson and Swenson. Avynn La Rose found space for a kill to bring on set point, and freshman Alexis Hobie closed it out with a service ace down the line.

Mines, however, won the next two sets to take the match.

“Even though we didn't get the result we wanted, how we competed has me feeling like I couldn't have asked for more out of my players,” Tarnauskaite said. “I want my team to realize that they can hang with one of the top teams in the nation, and they can be one of those teams.”

Fort Lewis will play two other home games this week, hosting Colorado Mesa University at 6 .m. Friday and Westminster College at 3 p.m. Saturday.