Volleyball | 9/25/2018 4:40:00 PM

UPCOMING MATCHES Friday, Sept. 28 vs. Westminster College | 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Video Saturday, Sept. 29 vs. Dixie State University | 5 p.m. | Live Stats | Video

THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team (6-9, 4-3 RMAC) returns to Gallogly Events Center this Friday and Saturday to play host to Westminster College on Friday at 7 p.m., and Dixie State University on Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
The Mountain Lions are currently on a four-match winning streak and have swept three of their last four opponents.
 
The annual UCCS Volleyball White Out Night will be held on Friday.  The first 500 UCCS students (with valid UCCS ID) to the match will receive a FREE White Out t-shirt from West Edge Apartments. 
 
Following the second set on Friday, the 2018 RMAC Women's Golf Championship team will be recognized and presented with their championship rings.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
Westminster College is currently in eighth place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with a 3-3 league record (5-9 overall).  WC has played their last four matches at home, splitting matches each weekend, earning wins against Western State and Fort Lewis, but dropping matches to Colorado Mesa and Adams State.
 
Audrey Green leads the Griffins offense, averaging a team high 3.41 kills per set.
 
SCOUTING THE TRAILBLAZERS
Saturday's match against Dixie State will mark the second time this season the two teams have met.  UCCS fell 3-1 in the first meeting on Aug. 31 at the Trailblazers home volleyball classic.
 
DSU is one of two teams to remain undefeated in the league (Colorado School of Mines) with a 6-0 record.  They stand at 11-2 on the year, dropping two matches to BIOLA and Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
The Trailblazers lead the RMAC in blocks (3.17 per set) and service aces (1.77 aces per set) and are fourth in the RMAC in hitting percentage (.217).
 
Individually, DSU is led by To'A Faleao who leads all RMAC players with 21 aces.  At the front line, teammate Lauren Gammell leads the RMAC in blocks, averaging 1.65 blocks per set, and has been named the RMAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week two times.
 
LEADERS IN THE RMAC
Senior Alyssa Brinton hit a career milestone Friday night at BHSU, recording her 1,000^th career kill.  Brinton now has 1,015 career kills, the seventh most in school history.  She finished the South Dakota road sweep recording 19 kills. 
 
UCCS sophomore setter Raelynn Edge continues to be one of the top setters in the league, averaging 10.95 assists per set.  She is coming off a weekend sweep at Black Hills State University and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology where she averaged 13.00 assists per set.
 
Redshirt freshman libero Jordyn Kinsey is seventh overall in digs in the RMAC with an average of 4.68 digs per set. 

Sophomore middle blocker Josie Russell is fifth in the RMAC in hitting percentage with .347 percent (.347, 99 kills, 23 errors, 219 total attempts).
 
The Mountain Lions have swept their opponents four times this season, but have only been swept once (vs. then-ranked No. 25 Colorado School of Mines).  UCCS is 2-2 when matches go to five sets, but are 0-6 in four-set matches.
 
The Mountain Lions have dominated early in the match, winning the first set 11 of 15 times this season.  Conversely, they have dropped the second set 10 times.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Mountain Lions earned two road sweeps last weekend in South Dakota State, defeating Black Hills State University Friday night, and South Dakota Mines on Saturday afternoon.

AWARD WINNERS
This season, Raelynn Edge and Alyssa Brinton have earned awards for the Mountain Lions.  Edge was named the first RMAC Setter of the Week of the season on Sept. 3, the first conference award for the Mountain Lions this season.  In four matches at the Dixie State University Volleyball Classic, Edge averaged 11.7 assists. 
 
Senior outside hitter Brinton opened the season earning 2018 Washburn Invitational All-Tournament Team honors. In four matches, Brinton hit .250 or better in the final three matches and averaged 3.25 digs per set.

UP NEXT
The Mountain Lions will head south on I-25 Oct. 5-6 when they play Colorado State-Pueblo on Friday at 7 p.m., and New Mexico Highlands University on Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
CLYDE'S CUPBOARD
UCCS is partnering with Clyde's Cupboard to drive donations for non-perishable food items for students.  Clyde's Cupboard is UCCS' on-campus food pantry and is open on Wednesday's and Thursday's from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to all currently enrolled students. Clyde's Cupboard offers free food to a growing number of UCCS students, who can visit the cupboard of cereals and nonperishable items in the Student Life Office up to twice a week and take home six items a visit (with valid UCCS student ID).
 
This fall, Clyde's Cupboard will accept donations at three home matches, beginning on Friday, Sept. 28 during the White Out volleyball match against Westminster College at 7 p.m.  Clyde's Cupboard will also be accepting donations on Sunday, Oct. 14 during the women's soccer Senior Day against Colorado Christian University, and Friday, Oct. 19 at the men's soccer match, also against CCU at 6 p.m.
 
For every non-perishable food item donated, the donor will receive a ticket to be entered into a prize drawing.  The prize will consist of a Mountain Lion gear gift basket.  Friday's drawing will take place after the second set against the Griffins.