PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball returns home this weekend to play two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matches on Alumni Weekend in Massari Arena.
The ThunderWolves open the weekend with a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Oct. 6 against 10th-ranked Colorado Mesa, before concluding the weekend with a 7 p.m. match on Saturday, Oct. 7 against Westminster University. These two matches will be just the second and third home contests this season for the Pack.
CSU Pueblo enters this weekend's action sporting a 5-9 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the RMAC after splitting two non-conference matches at last weekend's RMAC Regional Pod hosted by Regis. At the regional pod event, the Pack opened with a three-set win over UCCS, before falling in four sets to then 13th-ranked Regis. The Pack have dropped two of its last three matches overall since a three-match win streak to open RMAC play.
In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, the Pack were tabbed to finish fifth as they received 147 points in voting by the league's 15 head coaches. Last season, CSU Pueblo went 19-9 overall and 12-6 in the RMAC and advanced to the NCAA South Regional Tournament for the second consecutive season.
Friday's match-up with Colorado Mesa will be the 80th all-time meeting with Mesa holding a commanding 61-18 advantage. The Mavericks have won three straight matches in the series and nine of the last 10 overall matches with the Pack's lone win coming at home in five sets in 2019, while Saturday's match with Westminster will mark the 11th all-time meeting with the Pack holding a 9-1 lead in the series, including winning five straight matches in the series.
ABOUT THE THUNDERWOLVES
CSU Pueblo has been paced offensively this season by redshirt sophomore outside hitter
Payton Van Veen (Springfield, Mo./Washburn) and sophomore outside hitter
Sadie Scoville (Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove). Van Veen leads the team in kills (151), kills per set (2.96) and is third in blocks with 30 and fourth in aces with 10 and is hitting .262, while Scoville is second in both kills (136) and kills per set (2.62), but leads the team in digs (145), digs per set (2.79) and aces (24) and has recorded five double-doubles.
One other Pack player has recorded over 125 kills this season as sophomore outside hitter
Kendall Harrington (San Antonio, Texas/Tom C. Clark) has tallied 126 kills and is averaging 2.68 kills per set and is hitting .310 on the year. She has recorded double-digit kills in five of her last six matches, including a season-high 16 kills at South Dakota Mines.
The Pack offense is directed by junior setter
Sabrina King (Parker, Colo./Lutheran) and senior setter
Grace Jansen (Sandy, Utah/Jordan). King leads the team in assists with 259 and is averaging 4.98 assists per set and has had 18 aces and 82 digs, while Jansen has tallied 258 assists and is averaging 4.96 assists per set. In addition, she is second in aces with 22 and is third in digs with 99. King has posted three double-doubles, while Jansen has had two double-doubles.
Perhaps one of the biggest strengths of the Pack team is their blocking as they are sixth in the RMAC in blocking as they average 1.86 blocks per set on the season. Six Pack players have recorded 12 or more blocks on the year with redshirt sophomore middle blocker
Golden Finch (Albuquerque, N.M./Cal State Bakersfield) leading the way with 41 as she is averaging 1.05 blocks per set. She has had three or more blocks in a match nine times, including a high of seven blocks at Black Hills State. In addition to Finch, junior middle blocker
Josey Nunn (Kingwood, Texas/Porter) is second in blocks with 32, while Van Veen is right behind with 30. Scoville has had 19 blocks, while Harrington has had 17 and freshman middle blocker
Macy Wood (Sandy, Utah/Alta) has recorded 12 blocks and is averaging 0.80 blocks per set. As a team, the Pack have recorded 96.5 blocks per set.
As a team, CSU Pueblo has recorded 649 kills, 735 digs, 94 aces and is hitting .234 on the year, which is fourth-best in the league. The Pack are also averaging 11.44 assists per set and their opponents are hitting .217 on the year.
ABOUT COLORADO MESA
The Mavericks come into the weekend having won three straight and 14 of their first 15 matches this season with its only loss being a 3-1 setback at home to seventh-ranked MSU Denver. The Mavs are sporting a 14-1 overall record and a 4-1 in the RMAC after sweeping matches last weekend at their RMAC Regional pod against Western Colorado and Westminster.
Leading the way offensively for Colorado Mesa this season is junior outside hitter Sydney Leffler. Leffler is averaging 4.37 kills per set and is hitting .257. In addition to Leffler, redshirt senior middle hitter Savannah Spitzer is second in kills with 138, but is hitting .391 and is second in aces with 11, while junior outside hitter Riley Dougherty has recorded 139 kills on the season.
Redshirt junior setter Sabrina VanDeList is one of the setters in the RMAC as she has earned 12 career RMAC Setter of the Week accolades, including three times this season. VanDeList leads the team and RMAC in assists with 601 and is averaging 11.78 per set and also leads in aces with 16 and is second in digs with 146. She has recorded 3,241 assists in her career, which is fifth-most in school history.
Defensively, Mesa is led by sophomore libero Allison Waller, who is averaging 4.50 digs per set, while sophomore middle hitter Aesha Alrashed leads in blocks with 30 and is averaging 0.86 blocks per set.
As a team, the Mavs are hitting a league-best .275 as five players are hitting over .300 on the season. Along with hitting .275 as a team, the Mavs have recorded 753 kills, 768 digs, 88 blocks and 68 aces and their opponents are hitting .178, which is fourth-best in the RMAC.
The Mavs are coached by Dave Fleming, who is in his 19th season directing the Colorado Mesa program. He leads all active RMAC coaches with 357 career victories as he is 357-174 in his time at CMU. Fleming has led the Mavs to nine NCAA Division II Tournaments, two RMAC regular season titles, two RMAC Tournament crowns and three RMAC West Division titles.
In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, Colorado Mesa was tabbed to finish third as the Mavs earned 169 points and one first place vote from the league's coaches. Last season, Colorado Mesa went 22-7 overall and earned their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
The Griffins, who play at Adams State on Friday before traveling to Pueblo on Saturday, come into this weekend's action sporting a 5-10 overall record and a 2-3 mark in the RMAC after splitting matches at last weekend's RMAC Regional pod hosted by Colorado Mesa. At the event, Westminster won in four sets over Western Colorado, before falling in straight sets to Colorado Mesa.
Leading the way offensively for Westminster is senior outside hitter Olivia Curtis. Curtis is averaging 2.59 kills and 0.98 digs per set and is hitting .216 on the year. In addition to Curtis, junior outside hitter Regan Jackson is averaging 2.08 kills per set and is hitting .202, while sophomore middle hitter Mallei Myers is averaging 1.82 kills and is hitting a team-leading .382.
Sophomore setter Lelia Cornejo sets the attack for the Griffins as she is averaging 5.45 assists per set and is second in aces with 13 and is averaging 1.79 digs per set.
Defensively, sophomore libero Abby Reardon leads with way in digs as she averages 3.31 per set, while sophomore defensive specialist Breegan Huntsman is averaging 2.72 digs per set and has had 10 aces. Myers leads in blocks as she averages 0.98 per set and Jackson averages 0.47 blocks per set.
As a team, Westminster has recorded 655 kills, 901 digs, 97.5 blocks and 72 aces and is hitting .186, while their opponents are hitting .198.
Westminster is coached by Sue Dulaney, who is in her second season with the Griffins. Prior to becoming the Griffins coach, she spent nearly two decades at the JUCO level where she compiled over 500 career wins, including spending 14 seasons at Salt Lake Community College. In her time at SLCC, she won 301 matches.
In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, Westminster was tabbed to finish 12th as the Griffins earned 45 points from the league's coaches. Last season, Westminster went 6-20 overall and 4-14 in the RMAC.
UP NEXT FOR PACK
Following this weekend's home action, the Pack return to the road next week as they play RMAC matches at Chadron State on Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. and at Colorado Christian on Oct. 14 at 5 p.m.
