Westminster volleyball took on UCCS on Friday at Gallogly Events Center, falling in three sets, 0-3 (19-25, 22-25, 21-25), but not before turning in a number of strong individual performances along the way.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Set One
UCCS took the opener 25-19, but the Griffins had their share of highlights. Alie Coleman and Kyra Mahler each hit .750, going a combined 6-for-8 for kills, and Elsa Gilmore added three kills of her own. Nora Elliot ran the offense with five assists and served an ace on a perfect night from the line, while Tiia Heikkinen also served an ace and went a perfect 4-for-4 on her serves. Apiline White passed at an .875 clip, and Ava Livolsi anchored the back row with eight digs.
Set Two
UCCS won the second set 25-22. Apiline White was outstanding on both sides of the ball, serving a perfect 6-for-6 and passing a perfect 5-for-5 in serve receive. Jocelyn Grieser added three kills with a perfect reception mark of her own, and Kyra Mahler chipped in two kills and two block assists. Ava Livolsi served an ace and finished with seven digs, and Nora Elliot and Tiia Heikkinen combined for seven assists.
Set Three
UCCS closed out the match with a 25-21 win. Nora Elliot turned in one of the Griffins' best all-around sets, hitting .500 with a kill, running the offense with five assists, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the service line, and adding five digs. Apiline White and Tiia Heikkinen also served aces, with White going a perfect 3-for-3 on serve and 6-for-6 on serve receive, and Heikkinen going a perfect 5-for-5 on her serves. Ava Livolsi led all players with 11 digs, Isabella Deantoni passed a perfect 7-for-7, and Elsa Gilmore and Kyra Mahler each contributed two block assists.
GRIFFIN PERFORMANCES
Elsa Gilmore led Westminster with six kills on the match and paced the team with 7.5 points. Kyra Mahler hit .400 with five kills, and Apiline White, Jocelyn Grieser and Alie Coleman each added five kills as well. Nora Elliot ran the offense with a team-high 13 assists to go with an ace, and Tiia Heikkinen added 11 assists and two aces of her own. Libero Ava Livolsi turned in a standout defensive performance with a match-high 26 digs, and Isabella Deantoni was excellent in the back row with a .947 reception percentage. Up front, Westminster's block assists were spread across the roster, with Mahler (4), Gilmore (3), White (2) and Coleman (1) all contributing.
As a team, Westminster finished with 28 kills, 28 assists, five aces, 55 digs and 10 block assists.
Westminster continues its road trip Saturday night with a matchup at Metropolitan State University Denver.
