GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Avery Alger had a team-high 17 kills while Bri Mortensen dished out 50 assists but Westminster volleyball (5-22, 3-14 RMAC) was unable to complete its comeback after falling behind 2-0 and lost 3-2 on the road at Colorado Mesa (19-5, 14-3 RMAC) on Tuesday night at the Brownson Arena.

The Griffins hit over .400 as a team in each of the first two sets including .485 in a first set that saw Westminster commit just two attacking errors to 18 kills as a group.  Westminster held set point ahead 24-23 but dropped four of the next five points to fall 27-25 to begin the match.  The Mavericks carried the momentum of their first-set comeback to a quick second-set lead.  Colorado Mesa and Westminster each hit over .400 as a team in a quick second set that saw the Mavericks go on a dominant 9-2 run to run away with a 25-12 win.

Westminster saw another set point opportunity slip away in the third, dropping back-to-back points after leading 24-22.  Trailing by a pair of sets, however, the Griffins answered back with big swings from Lydia Miller
and Avery Alger to pull ahead late, eventually winning the set 27-25 on a bad Colorado Mesa set.

The Griffins' attack took control of a close set late in the fourth, as Westminster grabbed set point behind Mortensen's serve, using a 7-1 run to go up 24-18.  After being denied twice, Westminster sent the match to a fifth set on a powerful attack from Olivia Curtis.

Both sides traded runs to begin the fifth, building up to an 11-11 deciding set.  Westminster won the next point on a kill from Maya Hamaoka but Colorado Mesa went on to steal a match point opportunity by winning the next three.  Westminster saw a glimpse of hope after a Mavericks' error brought the set to 14-13, but a Holly Schmidt kill ended the match in a 15-13 fifth-set win for Colorado Mesa.
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Mortensen added three aces and 13 digs on top of her second 50-assist match this season while Sadie Babka led the way for Westminster defensively with 17 digs.  Lydia Parkinson (Miller) (14) and Olivia Curtis (12) also added double digit kills on the night while the two combined to hit .384 for the match.

Westminster will return home for its regular-season and home finale as it hosts Regis at the Behnken Field House on Saturday at 4 p.m.

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