BILLINGS, Mont. – Rocky Volleyball earned a decisive three-set sweep over Valley City State University on Saturday evening, defending home court for the second straight night to cap off Homecoming weekend.
How it happened
After the Battlin' Bears secured the first three points, Valley City State fought back to cut the deficit to two at 10-8. Kaitlyn Wood and Olivia Fauth then took command at the net to spark a Rocky surge, combining for three blocks during a 5-0 run that forced a Viking timeout and gave them a 15-9 lead. VCSU struggled to establish offensive momentum, committing 12 attack errors in the opening frame as the Battlin' Bears cruised to a 25-15 set win.
The second set was a tight, back-and-forth battle with neither team establishing more than a three-point cushion. After the Vikings edged ahead 21-20, Ella Kincaid and Sadie Meier answered with back-to-back kills to reclaim a 22-21 advantage for Rocky, forcing a Valley City timeout. Out of the stoppage, Archer Fabrao and Meier sealed the set with consecutive kills to deliver a hard-earned 25-22 victory.
Everything clicked for the Battlin' Bears in the third frame as they posted an explosive offensive performance, throwing down 14 kills on 29 attempts with just a single attack error (.448 hitting percentage), marking one of the team's most efficient offensive sets in recent memory. Olivia Fauth was red-hot in the final set, recording six kills, including the match's final two points, to lead the Battlin' Bears to a 25-15 victory and complete the sweep.
Notable statistics
Olivia Fauth led the Rocky attack with a match-high 12 kills while hitting .444 to go along with four blocks. Sadie Meier contributed nine kills (.412) and eight digs, while Kaitlyn Wood tallied five kills (.455) and three blocks. Freshman Archer Fabrao recorded three service aces, Zoey Albert led the back row with 17 digs, and Rylee McMillan dished out 19 assists.
As a team, the Battlin' Bears outhit the Vikings .285 to .123 overall, totaling 36 kills against a season-low eight attack errors. Their .285 hitting percentage marked their second-highest clip of the season, while their seven service aces tied a season high.
This content is sourced from
Rocky Mountain College
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
