The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team (18-8, 12-5 RMAC) prepares for the final two regular season matches this weekend as they host No. 12 ranked Colorado Mines (22-5, 16-2 RMAC) and Colorado Christian (21-8, 11-7 RMAC), who trails UCCS by one match in the RMAC.
Both matches will have playoff implications as all three teams have made the 2012 RMAC tournament and now are vying for seeding. For UCCS, that is a fourth place finish, which would grant the Mountain Lions a home playoff match next Tuesday, November 13.
UCCS will host No. 12 ranked Colorado Mines on Friday at 7 p.m. followed by a match against the Cougars on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Mountain Lions have a combined lifetime record of 46-29 against the Orediggers and the Cougars and have won the previous two matches against both the teams dating back to October 2011. UCCS beat Colorado Mines on the road in their previous meeting 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-19) on September 15. The Mountain Lions also won the last meeting against the Colorado Christian on the road 3-1, (8-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-15) on Sept. 14.
UCCS enters this weekend second in the RMAC for total blocks, led by senior middle blocker,
Nikki Kinzer, who leads Division II in blocks per set. Kinzer also earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the fourth time this season. She finished last week's matches with 20 total blocks in three road victories. Kinzer adds to her all-time career block assist record at UCCS as she currently ranks first in school history with 371. She also moves into a tie this weekend for second all-time in the rally scoring era (since 2001) in career solo block at UCCS with 41.
The Mountain Lions are also 10-2 at home this season, which accounts for the most wins UCCS has ever had in the Gallogly Events Center. There has been just one season in history that the Mountain Lions had more wins at home, which was in 1993, when the team finished 12-6.