PUEBLO, Colo. (March 5, 2021) – Colorado State University Pueblo Volleyball heads west for a pod featuring South Dakota Mines and Westminster College in Salt Lake City Saturday. The ThunderWolves will play the Hardrockers at 2 p.m. and face the Griffins at 5 p.m.

Game Information:
Due to COVID 19 safety protocols, no fans will be allowed in Behnken Arena for either match. Click Here to watch the game's live stream on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Network.

Last Time Out:
The Pack swept Fort Lewis College last Saturday (25-18, 25-18, 29-27). Hannah Delor (Jr., Marysville, Mich.) led the Pack with 12 kills. Bailey Combs (So., Fresno, Calif.) knocked down 10 kills and hit .500 for the match. Maddy Wisniewski (Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) delivered nine kills while hitting .320.

Grace Jansen (So., South Jordan, Utah) achieved her first career double-double with 21 assists and 12 digs. Jansen also had a career-high five kills and hit .714.

Pack Notes:
The ThunderWolves enter the weekend 4-2 with a 2-1 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. With a 4-2 record, the Pack is off to its best start since 2012 when they started the season 6-0. The Pack is receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll for the fifth consecutive week. This is their longest streak appearing in the polls since 1997.

CSU Pueblo ranks second in the RMAC with 1.95 aces per set.  The ThunderWolves rank No. 21 in D-II in aces per set. The Pack is also the second-least blocked team in the RMAC. Opponents average 1.14 blocks per set against CSU Pueblo.

Elaine Thibadeau (Jr., Monument, Colo.) earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors Tuesday. Thibadeau averaged 5.33 digs per set against the Skyhawks. She now has double-digit digs in all six matches this season. She ranks ninth in the RMAC with 3.77 digs per set.

Tuesday's honor was the first RMAC Defensive Player of the Week award in Thibadeau's career. The Pack has earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice this season. Payton Stack (Sr., Casper, Wyo.) claimed RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors Jan. 27.

Delor leads the RMAC with 0.60 aces per set. This average places her 23rd in D-II.  

Jazzy Espinoza (Jr., Cheyenne, Wyo.) ranks fifth in the RMAC with a .330 hitting percentage. Espinoza also stands second in the RMAC and 30th in D-II with 0.59 aces per set.

Stack leads the RMAC with 1.23 blocks per set. Stack ranks 19th in D-II in blocks per set. She has averaged a block per set in five of the Pack's six matches this season.

Wisniewski leads the Pack with 2.55 kills per set. Delor stands just behind her with 2.53 kills per set. Combs has averaged 2.20 kills per set.

Grace Hern (Jr., Omaha, Neb.) continues to lead the Pack with 5.05 assists per set. Jansen averages 4.31 assists per set.

Seven ThunderWolves are hitting over .200. The Pack is hitting .211 on the season, their highest hitting percentage in the rally scoring era. They hit a record .199 last season under Head Coach Austin Albers.

Opponent Capsules:
South Dakota Mines:
Record: 3-4(3-3 RMAC). The Hardrockers beat Colorado Christian University and Adams State University in a pod Monday.
Last Meeting: The Pack beat the Hardrockers in four sets, Sept. 28, 2019. Stack had 12 kills and hit .400 in that match.
Series History: The ThunderWolves hold a 7-0 record all-time against the Hardrockers. They have won 21 of the 25 all-time sets between the two schools.

Opponent Capsules:
Westminster
Record: 4-7 (2-6 RMAC). The Griffins swept Chadron State College last time out.
Last Meeting: The ThunderWolves edged the Griffins in five sets, Nov. 1, 2019. Espinoza set a school-record with a .727 hitting percentage in that match. She finished with 16 kills.
Series History: The Pack enjoys a 6-1 lead in the all-time series.
-PACK-