COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After a 3-1 weekend that featured the best hitting percentages in program history, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs heads to Florida for a four-match weekend in the 2016 Terrace Hotel Classic, hosted by Florida Southern College. The Mountain Lions will take on LIU Post, Rollins, Texas Woman's and No. 23 Florida Southern at the George W. Jenkins Field House on Friday and Saturday.
UCCS posted two of its top five single match hitting percentages last weekend at the Aggie Classic hosted by Oklahoma Panhandle State, and another hitting performance that was the best for a four-set match. The Mountain Lions averaged .342 and 14.31 kills per set to lead the RMAC through the first regular season weekend.
Morgan Evans is second with 10.85 assists per set and moved into seventh in career assists with 1,766. She needs 385 more to move into a tie for sixth in record books.
Alyssa Brinton (fifth),
Taylor Hamilton (sixth) and
Cassidy Bush (eighth) all rank in the top 10 of the conference for hitting percentage, and Brinton is second with 4.46 kills per set. Bush has 246 total career blocks and needs one more to tie for ninth in UCCS records, and 11 to move into a tie for eighth.
Of the four matches this weekend, the match that will carry the most impact for UCCS will be Saturday's match against Texas Woman's. NCAA postseason selection criteria places an emphasis on matches considered "in region" – those teams that are within the predetermined regions or against teams from bordering states. Because the Pioneers are in the Heartland Conference, a member of the South Central Region like UCCS and the RMAC, the result of the match will be important at the end of the regular season during the NCAA selection process.
Texas Woman's went 2-2 last weekend at home with wins against Newman and Colorado State-Pueblo. Anna McGee is hitting .325 with 3.38 kills per set, while the defense is led by Sara Oxford's 1.13 blocks per set and Emma Petolick's 5.06 digs per set.
Florida Southern is ranked No. 23 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. The Mocs went 3-1 last weekend in Oregon, with the only loss to MSU Denver in five sets. Anna Tovo is averaging 4.12 kills and 0.44 service aces per set. Florida Southern averages 2.06 blocks per set as a team, led by Allie Geary's 1.21 average.
Rollins went 2-2 with the two losses against top 25 teams, but earned a 3-1 win against Westminster. LIU Post was 2-0 last weekend in a tri-match at Cheyney with a pair of three-set victories.
Live video and stats will be available from each match this weekend, and live updates will be posted through @UCCSVolleyball.
