CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State volleyball earned its first RMAC win of the season in rousing fashion, snapping a four-game losing streak by beating Western Colorado in straight sets – 25-18, 25-19, 25-16 – to punctuate homecoming weekend in the Chicoine Center.
Mataya Ward hit 16 kills with no errors on 29 attempts as Chadron State (4-8, 1-3 RMAC) put together one of its best offensive performances of the year, finishing with a .375 team hitting percentage and only eight attack errors.
The Eagles' 50 team kills were the second-highest single-game total by the program this year, surpassed only by one of CSC's two five-setters played in 2025.
Bella Adams added a season-high 11 kills with just one error, hitting .476, and also blocking three shots. Gibson Beckler continued to stuff the stat sheet with eight kills, 12 digs and two blocks while Avery Lacy had 16 digs from the libero position and Jillian Donovan had 43 assists, her highest-ever total in a three-setter.
By contrast, Western Colorado (1-11, 0-4 RMAC) hit just .202 on the night. Neither team served the ball well, as each side finished with two service aces and nine service errors apiece, but CSC's 50 kills far outpaced Western's 33 and the Eagles also came up with 51 digs to WCU's 44.
Chadron State wrestled control of the first set with a 7-0 scoring run that turned a 13-11 deficit into an 18-13 lead. After a service error and attack error allowed the Eagles to tie the score, CSC hit five kills in a row (two from Kally Kirkwood, two from Beckler and one from Adams) to open up the cushion. Service errors by the Mountaineers allowed Chadron State to gain their 24th and 25th points of the opening set.
In the second, Adams contributed two kills on a 5-0 scoring run that let the Eagles race out to a 12-5 lead. Chloe Grady finished back-to-back kills to push the margin to 15-7 before Bella Adams and Mataya Ward tallied a kill apiece then combined on a block to put the Eagles up 22-16. Once again, a Mountaineer service error ended the set.
Western Colorado showed some desire to extend the match, taking a 10-9 third set lead on back-to-back kills from Breanna Nohava, but Chadron State scored seven of the next eight points, including an Avery Lacy ace and two solo blocks from Kally Kirkwood. The Eagles could smell the end of the match and were determined to finish it, ending the third set on a 6-1 run with all points coming via kill (three by Ward, two by Adams and one on a skip set by Donovan).
The team will take a break from RMAC-counting games as next week will see the RMAC's "Regional Pod" matches. Chadron State will go on the road to play regional rivals South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State in nonconference matches next week, facing the Hardrockers in Rapid City on Friday, October 3 at 6 p.m. and the Yellowjackets in Spearfish on Saturday, October 4 at 2 p.m.
