PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball will close out the 2023 regular season this weekend by hosting Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foes UCCS and 12th-ranked Regis at Massari Arena on the CSU Pueblo campus.

The ThunderWolves will open the weekend with a 7 p.m. Senior Night match-up on Friday, Nov. 10 against UCCS and conclude the regular season with a 6 p.m. match on Saturday, Nov. 11 against Regis.

Prior to Friday's match with UCCS, the Pack will honor its four-member senior class in a pre-match ceremony. This year's four seniors are opposite side hitter Bailey Combs (Fresno, Calif./Central Oklahoma), setter Grace Jansen (Sandy, Utah/Jordan), libero Taylor Maguire (Lyons, Colo./Lyons) and libero Kealey Marshall (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail).

CSU Pueblo enters the weekend sporting a 12-12 overall record and a 9-3 mark in the RMAC after splitting matches last weekend at Western Colorado and at Fort Lewis. The Pack earned a four-set win at Western Colorado and then suffered a hard-fought five-set loss at Fort Lewis. Since opening the season with a 1-7 record, the Pack has won 11 of its last 16 matches.

The Pack are currently sitting in a tie with South Dakota Mines for fourth place in the RMAC standings heading into this weekend's matches. The top eight teams at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the RMAC Tournament with the top four teams hosting first round RMAC Tournament matches next Tuesday, Nov. 14. South Dakota Mines holds the tiebreaker over the Pack thanks for their five-set win in Rapid City on Sept. 23 should the teams be tied at the end of Saturday's matches. South Dakota Mines plays at Westminster and 11th-ranked Colorado Mesa this weekend.

Friday's match with UCCS will be the second meeting this season and the 66th all-time meeting in the series with the Pack holding a 33-31 edge in the series, while Saturday's match with Regis will mark the 55th all-time meeting between the two schools with Regis holding a 43-11 advantage. The Pack has won seven straight matches against UCCS, including a 3-0 win earlier this season at an RMAC Region Pod hosted by Regis on Sept. 29 and the Pack has lost three of their last four to Regis, including suffering a four-set loss earlier this season in Denver.

ABOUT THE THUNDERWOLVES
Leading the way offensively for the Pack this season has been its three-headed tandem of redshirt sophomore outside hitter Payton Van Veen (Springfield, Mo./Washburn University), sophomore opposite side hitter Kendall Harrington (San Antonio, Texas/Tom C. Clark) and sophomore outside hitter Sadie Scoville (Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove). Those three have combined for 67 percent of the Pack's kills as they have recorded 800 and have also combined for 97 aces, 389 digs and 126 blocks and are hitting a combined .297 on the year.

Van Veen, who was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16, leads the Pack in kills (280), kills per set (3.20) and is third in blocks with 57 and fifth in aces with 20 and is hitting .295, while Harrington, who was RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23, is second in kills (257) and kills per set (2.99) and has had 31 blocks and is hitting .332 and Scoville is third in both kills (255) and kills per set (2.80) and leads the team in digs (280), digs per set (3.08) and is second in aces with 34, fourth in blocks with 38 and hitting .264. Scoville leads the team in double-doubles with 10 and has posted double-digit kills in eight of her last 11 matches, while Van Veen has had double-digit kill matches seven times in her last contests and Harrington has also had eight straight double-digit kill matches.

The Pack offense is directed by junior setter Sabrina King (Parker, Colo./Lutheran) and Jansen. King leads the team in assists with 492 and is averaging 5.41 assists per set and has had 152 digs and is third in aces with 29, while Jansen has recorded 456 assists and is averaging 5.01 assists per set and has had 163 digs and leads in aces with 43. Jansen has recorded five double-doubles, while King has had four double-doubles on the year.

One of the biggest strengths this season for the Pack is their ability to serve aces as they enter this week's action second in the league in total aces with 171 and also second in aces per set as they are averaging 1.88 per set. Six Pack players have recorded double-digit aces, including Jansen (43), Scoville (34), King (29), freshman libero Maddox Richtmyre (Surprise, Ariz./Willow Canyon) (23), Van Veen (20) all recording 20 or more aces on the year. The Pack have had five or more aces in a match 20 times, including recording 12 straight matches with five or more aces.

The Pack come into this weekend's action leading the league in hitting percentage at .266 as they have hit over .300 in nine matches, including four times in their last six matches. The players are hitting over .300 on the season as junior middle blocker Josey Nunn (Kingwood, Texas/Porter) leads the way as she is hitting .376, while redshirt sophomore middle blocker Golden Finch (Albuquerque, N.M./Cal State Bakersfield) is hitting .359 and Harrington is hitting .332.

On the blocking front, Finch and Nunn have each recorded over 60 blocks on the year as Finch leads the team with 69 blocks and is averaging 0.88 blocks per set, while Nunn has recorded 64 blocks and is averaging 0.71 blocks per set. Van Veen is three blocks shy of 60 as she has had 57 and is averaging 0.63 blocks per set. As a team, the Pack are averaging 1.85 blocks per set and have recorded 168.5 blocks overall on the year. They have had five or more blocks in a match 18 times, including a season high 10 blocks against both UCCS at the RMAC Regional Pod on Sept. 29 and at Chadron State on Oct. 12.

In addition to Scoville who has recorded a team-leading 280 digs, Richtmyre, who was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23, is right behind Scoville in digs as she has recorded 266 and is averaging 3.28 per set. She has also had 23 aces and 74 assists on the year.

As a team, CSU Pueblo has recorded 1,203 kills, 1,307 digs, 171 aces and is averaging 12.05 assists pet set, which is fourth-best in the RMAC and their opponents are hitting .214 on the year.

ABOUT UCCS
The Mountain Lions come into this weekend's action having dropped five straight matches and are sporting a 7-17 overall record and a 5-7 mark in the RMAC. The latest losses in the streak came last weekend as UCCS fell in three sets at eighth-ranked MSU Denver and then suffered a three-set sweep at Mines. UCCS is currently sitting in 11th place in the league standings and would need to get two wins and some help from the teams in front of them the standings to qualify for next week's RMAC Tournament.

Leading the way offensively for UCCS is graduate student outside hitter Lauryn Shockley, who is averaging 2.52 kills and 2.19 digs per set and is hitting .161. In addition to Shockley, senior middle blocker Nicole Medlin is averaging 2.18 kills and 0.71 blocks per set and is hitting .308, while redshirt junior outside hitter Raegen Emery is averaging 2.03 kills and 1.40 digs per set and is hitting .151.

Sophomore setter Joei Barela is averaging 5.93 assists and 1.48 digs per set. Her 5.93 assists per set are 10th-best in the RMAC. Junior setter Maylen Mitrovich is averaging 5.81 assists and has had 16 aces and 100 digs on the year.

Defensively, UCCS is led by sophomore libero Mackenzie Ransom, who is averaging 3.17 digs per set and is second in aces with 24, while Medlin leads in blocks with 63 and graduate student middle blocker Julia Geiger is second in blocks with 46 as she averages 0.54 blocks per set.

As a team, UCCS is hitting .172 and have recorded 1,006 kills, 1,160 digs, 130 blocks and 142 aces. UCCS' opponents are hitting .221 on the year.

The Mountain Lions are coached by Tara Hittle, who is in her second season directing the Mountain Lions volleyball program. Hittle, who came to UCCS after spending three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Pepperdine, has compiled a 20-30 overall record with the Mountain Lions.

In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, UCCS was tabbed to finish seventh as they earned 114 points from the league's coaches. Last season, the Mountain Lions went 13-13 and finished tied for seventh in the RMAC standings with an 8-10 record.

ABOUT REGIS
The Rangers, who plays on Friday at Adams State before traveling to Pueblo on Saturday, comes into this weekend's action ranked 12th in this week's latest Taraflex/AVCA Division II Coaches' Poll as they are sporting an 18-6 overall record and are tied with Colorado Mesa for second in the league with a 10-2 record. The Rangers' lone loss in league play have come at Colorado Mesa (3-1) and at home last Saturday in four sets to MSU Denver. That loss to MSU Denver snapped a two-game winning streak for Regis.

Leading the way offensively for Regis is graduate student right side hitter Klaudia Sowizral, who is averaging 2.90 kills per set and is third in the RMAC in hitting percentage at .344. In addition to Sowizral, graduate student middle blocker Nadine Burbrink is averaging 2.51 kills, 0.55 digs and 1.27 blocks per set, which is third in the league and is hitting .326, while senior outside hitter Halle Theis averaging 2.59 kills, 0.64 digs and 0.61 blocks per set and is hitting .214.

Graduate student libero Haley Kennedy leads the team in digs with 322 and is averaging 3.93 per set and also leads in aces with 35, while graduate student setter Mara LeGrand, who was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Colorado Premier Challenge, is second in digs with 222 and is averaging 2.71 digs per set and leads the team in assists with 845 as she averages 10.30 assists per set, which is third-best in the RMAC.

As a team, Regis leads the league in blocking as they average 2.76 blocks per set and have had five players record 60 or more blocks. Junior middle blocker Amelia Davis leads the way with 107 and averages a league-best 1.30 blocks per set, while Burbrink has had 104 blocks and LeGrand has tallied 62 blocks.

The Rangers are second in the league in attack percentage as they are hitting .265 as a team and have recorded 1,084 kills, 1,188 digs, 226.5 blocks and 135 aces. Regis' opponents are hitting just .146 against them this season, which is second-best in the league and they have played just one five set match on the season, which was a 3-2 win over Cal State-LA in its second match of the season.

Regis is coached by Joel List, who is in his seven season as the Rangers' head coach. He has compiled a 149-46 overall record and has led the program to two RMAC regular season titles, two RMAC Tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances.

In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, Regis was tabbed to finish second as they earned a first place vote and 181 points. Last season, Regis went 22-8 and 16-2 in the RMAC and advanced to the championship match of the RMAC Tournament and earned its ninth straight trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

UP NEXT FOR PACK
Following this weekend's final two matches of the regular season, the Pack will set its sights on the postseason as they open the RMAC Tournament with a quarterfinal match on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The top four teams in the league at the end of the regular season will host quarterfinal matches, with the semifinals and finals of the tournament being held on Nov. 17-18 at the site of the highest remaining seeded team following the quarterfinals.