LAS VEGAS, N.M. - Make it five straight for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs volleyball team.

The Mountain Lions took just one hour, 15 minutes in winning their fifth in a row and seventh of the past eight Friday evening with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19) victory over the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls at the Wilson Complex.

UCCS, which learned Thursday that it was regionally ranked (eighth) for the first time this season, strengthened its case for such notoriety Friday by improving to 13-7 overall and 8-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Setters Cindy Bathelt (20 assists) and Lindsey Stich (seven) spread the wealth skillfully, as nine different Mountain Lions registered kills. Andrea Brodie, who also added three service aces, and Jenica Shippy led the way with six kills each, followed closely by Lauren Orth and Nicole Pederson, who had five each. Pederson also had three solo and three assisted blocks.

Vanessa Leal led New Mexico Highlands (1-20, 0-10 RMAC) with 10 kills.

Bathelt served up a 9-0 run to break open the first set and give the Mountain Lions a 17-6 lead. In the set, the Cowgirls committed 12 of their 29 attack errors.

UCCS opened quickly in the second set, building a 15-4 lead paced by three kills by Shippy, two by Laura Brodie and two solo and three (two solo, one assisted) blocks by Pederson. Two Leal kills helped NMHU close the deficit to 15-11, but the Cowgirls could get no closer.

The third set opened with an 8-1 UCCS run. The Cowgirls never got closer than five afterward.

UCCS' win streak will face a big test on Saturday when the Mountain Lions face Western New Mexico, which is 7-5 in RMAC play, in Silver City, N.M