Losing starting setter Heather Danny to a hip injury forced the Fort Lewis College volleyball team to fundamentally alter the way it played the game.
Two trips and two weeks later, the Skyhawks are starting to feel comfortable.
They will host Colorado Christian at 7 p.m. Thursday in the first of three games in three days to open their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule.
FLC (3-5) also will host Regis and Black Hills State at Whalen Gymnasium.
CCU (6-3) enters Durango on a three-match winning streak fresh off a tournament in Florida.
The Cougars feature one of the best hitters in the RMAC in Taylor Sturns. She ranks 10th in the conference at 3.29 kills per set while hitting at a .243 clip.
“She’s the best in the conference as far as hitting,” FLC head coach Kelley Rifilato said. “She never hits the same shot twice.”
CCU also will be tough because the team manages to deliver the ball to its outside hitters even when they are out of system, or the second contact of the ball isn’t made by the setter – 10 Cougars have at least one assist, and Jordan Carswell and Jordan Kessler have more than 160.
“That’s hard to defend against when you think the ball’s not going to be pushed out to the pin, and it is,” Rifilato said. “I think they’re well coached, very fundamentally sound.”
The Skyhawks aren’t helpless, though.
FLC junior defensive specialist Lindley Gallegos leads the RMAC with .67 aces per set, indicative of FLC’s strong serving performance this season.
“She’s definitely doing well, especially with the fact that the ball has a different flight pattern at sea level when you’re here,” said Rifilato, who believed her team’s service was negatively affected while playing in Texas. “We’re seeing, definitely, we improved from the first week to the second week offensively. That’s setters getting reps, getting comfortable with the hitters, and the hitters building confidence.”
Kennedy Clark, who played for Rifilato at Bayfield High School and graduated from Durango High School, and Ciara Krening have taken over the setting duties, with Krening leading the team with 135 assists.
“They’re trying to figure out what their role actually is and make mental notes,” Rifilato said. “Especially for Kennedy, playing as a defensive specialist, she covers hitters. I think she definitely has come a long way as far as understanding what’s asked of her.”
The move to a two-setter system also has allowed FLC to play bigger lineups across the board, which helps in blocking.
The Skyhawks are sixth in the RMAC with 1.93 blocks per set so far. They’ll need to maintain their defensive fortitude against CCU.
“It’s been a strength of ours,” Rifilato said of the blocking. “We do have a bit of a size advantage. We just need to limit our unforced errors.”
Playing at home for the first time since their alumnae game two weeks ago should help with that.
“It’ll be great,” Rifilato said. “I know we have some high school teams coming out to watch, and it’ll be nice for our kids to be at home. We have a tough weekend, because all three of the teams are quality opponents.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
