PUEBLO, Colo. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) volleyball team (0-1) fell to the host team, Colorado State-Pueblo, in their opening game of the 2024 season by a final score of 3-0 at the Steel City Showcase on Thursday.

The ThunderWolves opened up the match with the first three points, but a kill from Morgan Deming (Boyne City, Mich.) got the Lakers on the board as they brought it back to within one. Both teams would then trade points, but the Lakers were able to string together a 3-0 run to tie up the set at 10-10 with Deming involved in all three points with a pair of kills before joining up with Mariana Velasque (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for an emphatic block to tie the set. However, CSU-Pueblo was able to pull ahead with a run of their own, and despite a 4-0 Laker run to rally with kills from Maggie Morris (Schoolcraft, Mich.) and Gia Waters (Minneapolis, Minn.), the ThunderWolves would ultimately claim the first set 25-18.

The ThunderWolves managed to get off to a hot start in the second set. LSSU kept fighting with kills from Waters and Velasque, but it would not be enough as CSU-Pueblo took the second set 25-12.

Deming set the tone early in the third set with a solo block to help push her team to a quick 2-0 edge in the set, but the ThunderWolves battled back to take the lead. The Lakers would then rally back to tie the set at 12-12 with a 6-0 run behind a kill from Jordyn Haller (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) and a Velasque service ace. The ThunderWolves pulled back ahead, but the Lakers were not ready to go out without a fight, using rallying runs of 4-0 and 3-0 to stay in it that featured multiple kills from Velasque and a service ace from Vanessa Swerdon (Toronto, Ont.). However, CSU-Pueblo was ultimately able to weather the storm and close out the set 25-19 and the match 3-0.

Despite the loss, Velasque and Waters led the team in kills with 7 each, and Deming was close behind with 6 while also posting 6 total blocks, three of which were solo. Meanwhile, Swerdon ended the night with 18 assists to lead all players while also being tied for the team lead in digs with Waters with 8.

The Lakers will look to bounce back when they play a pair of matches on the second day of the Steel City Showcase against Eastern New Mexico and Cal State East Bay on Friday, Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.