COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Middle blocker Nikki Kinzer earned a spot on the preseason team as the University of Colorado Colorado Springs was projected to advance to the postseason tournament in the 2012 RMAC Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll released this morning. The Mountain Lions were picked seventh overall.

Kinzer was one of seven student-athletes from the 14 conference schools named to the preseason team. The returning senior led the RMAC with 1.22 blocks per set last season and holds the Mountain Lion program record for block assists in a season. She's also ranked in the top five in career block assist records and needs five more solo blocks to break into the top 10 charts.

UCCS finished one point behind Colorado Christian in the voting for the preseason standings with 78 points. A trip to the RMAC tournament this year would be the third appearance for the Mountain Lions in four seasons. UCCS finished two matches out of qualifying last year in a division that featured five teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25 at some point during the season.

The champion in each division will earn an automatic berth to the RMAC postseason tournament, and the next six teams overall will qualify. The selection criteria for the 2012 season changed in comparison from last year, where the top four teams from each division advanced to the tournament.

The RMAC tournament will begin with quarterfinal action on campus sites Nov. 13. The highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals will host the semifinal and championship rounds Nov. 16-17. The tournament champion will automatically advance to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional and join teams from the Lone Star and Heartland Conferences for the regional championship tournament.