The Fort Lewis College volleyball team topped Westminster College in five sets Friday night, which brought an end to a seven-game conference losing streak that dated back to 2018. During the streak, FLC had lost 23 of 25 sets.
The Skyhawks (5-9, 1-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) split the first two sets, but Fort Lewis dug deep and won, 24-26, 25-18, 25-16, 23-25 and 15-8.
“It just had to happen,” said FLC head coach Tricia Melfy. “We were given good opportunities throughout the season to get a conference win and tonight we were able to capitalize. We needed one of our pins to do a bit more, and both Bailey Longacre and Ohiyah Shirley stepped up big time for us. Payton Harmann dished the ball so well and helped us get set offensively. We also had a big night on defense with 85 digs. We’re hoping to take this confidence into tomorrow night.”
Longacre led Fort Lewis with 18 kills, while Shirley added 17. The freshmen played a big role in the win, and Harmann recorded 54 assists and Kamryn Lopez had 18 digs.
The Griffins (3-10 0-5 RMAC) were paced by Audrey Green, who recorded 17 kills and Aggie Roese-Olsen had 36 assists.
Fort Lewis will take on Dixie State University (8-5, 3-2 RMAC) at 5 p.m. Saturday inside Whalen Gymnasium.
bploen@durangoherald.com
