THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team will begin a four match homestand this weekend, beginning Oct. 15 against Western Colorado University and Oct. 16 against Fort Lewis College.  Friday's action will begin at 7 p.m. against the Mountaineers before Saturday's match at 4 p.m. against the Skyhawks.
 
MATCH COVERAGE
Live Stats: https://gomountainlions.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Video: https://rmacnetwork.com/gomountainlions
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Mountain Lions squared off against Colorado State Pueblo and Regis University for the second time this season.  UCCS hosted the Pack Tuesday night and fell in five sets.  Four Mountain Lions recorded at least 11 kills against the ThunderWolves.  Maren Burkhart led both teams with 16 kills and added a .333 hitting mark.  Camden Strain chipped in 15 kills followed by Hannah Ammerman's and Lauryn Shockley's 11 kills apiece.  Emily Ettel dished up 46 of the Mountain Lions 53 assists and added two kills, 12 digs and 46 assists.   Jordyn Kinsey dug up a match high 20 attacks and added six assists and an ace.  UCCS posted 58 kills on the night and hit .234 with five aces and five blocks.
 
On Friday at Regis, Ammerman hit a solid .353 behind seven kills and only one error on 17 attempts to lead the UCCS offense.  Burkhart and Grace Ferguson each chipped in six kills.  Ferguson led the defense at the net with two block assists and a solo block.  Ettel notched all 22 set assists for UCCS and added two digs and two kills while Kinsey registered half of UCCS' digs, accounting for nine of the team's 18 digs.  UCCS finished the night with 28 kills, a .133 hitting percentage and three blocks.
 
In the two matches, Burkart notched a team high 22 kills and hit a team best .306.  Ettel was a factor in 68 of UCCS' 75 assists while Strain accounted for three of the Mountain Lions seven aces to go with five block assists.
 
RMAC RECORD/STANDINGS
The Mountain Lions are tied with Westminster College for 14^th place in the league standings with a 1-7 RMAC record.
 
Western Colorado enters the weekend tied with Colorado Christian University for sixth place in the league with a .500 record at 4-4 (9-7 overall).  The Skyhawks are one match behind the Mountaineers with a 3-5 RMAC record (3-9 overall) and are tied with New Mexico Highlands University for eighth place.
 
On top of the RMAC standings are nationally ranked No. 2 MSU Denver and No. 6 Colorado School of Mines with a perfect 8-0 record.  Both teams will square off against each other this Saturday at MSU Denver.
 
THE SERIES
Vs. Western Colorado:  The all-time series between UCCS and Western Colorado is tied at 23-23.  WCU is on a two-match winning streak against the Mountain Lions as UCCS' last win over WCU came in a 3-0 win at home on Oct. 27, 2018.
 
Vs. Fort Lewis: The Mountain Lions hold a 28-22 all-time series lead against the Skyhawks.  FLC won the last meeting on Feb. 11, 2021, snapping a 15-match winning streak by the Mountain Lions against FLC.
 
SCOUTING REPORT
WCU Mountaineers: The Mountaineers, who have played five of their last six matches at home, have won two of their last three.  After defeating Chadron State and Westminster College at home, the Mountaineers lost on Saturday to Colorado Mesa University.
 
WCU leads all 15 RMAC teams in digs per set, averaging 17.4.  They are averaging 12.1 kills per set while hitting the ball at a .171 clip.
 
Elizabth Rupprecht is the RMAC leader in digs per set (4.53) while teammate Kat Finnerty is second in the league in blocks per set (1.00).  Offensively, Caroline Parker leads the team in kills per set (2.72) while Jaeda Davis-Golliher's attack percentage is the fifth highest in the RMAC (.298).
 
FLC Skyhawks: The Skyhawks own a 3-9 overall record entering the weekend.  All three wins have come at home against conference schools (New Mexico Highlands, Chadron State and Westminster).
 
Fort Lewis is led by Chailyn Swenson's 2.79 kills per set.  Alexis Hobie has added 96 kills and a team high 110 points.  Kamryn Lopez and Payton Harmann have each served up 11 acces as the Skyhawks edge their opponents in aces, 64-61.  Rylee Johnson leads the defense at the net with a team high 21 blocks while Avynn La Rose has added 20 blocks.  The back row defense is paced by Lopez who has dug up 149 digs.
 
HOT TAKES
Camden Strain had a career night on Tuesday against CSU Pueblo, recording a career high in total attacks (35), aces (three), blocks (four) and block assists (four).
 
Jordyn Kinsey is currently sixth in digs in the career record books.  Kinsey has accounted for 1,235 digs in four seasons, and is 171 digs shy of fifth place, held by Kim Catlett (2012-15, 1,406 digs).  She needs 576 digs to become the all-time leader at UCCS, currently owned by Andrea Weedman (2004-07) with career 1,811 digs.
 
Shockley is ranked in the top half in the league in kills per set (sixth, 3.29), total kills (fourth, 194), and points per set (fifth, 3.66).
 
Jordyn Kinsey's 185 total digs this season are the 20^th most in the RMAC. 
 
UCCS is in the top half of the league in several categories, including hitting percentage (sixth, .200) and kills per set (fifth, 12.19).
 
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH CHRISSY ELDER
Chrissy Elder is in her ninth season as the Head Coach for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball program in 2021 after seven consecutive RMAC Tournament appearances for the Mountain Lions.
 
Elder won her 100^th match as head coach of the Mountain Lions, accomplishing the feat in a 3-2 home win over Texas A&M International on Friday, Sept. 10.  In nine seasons at UCCS, Elder owns a 102-121 record (.457), and she has a head coaching career record of 109-142 (.434) over 10 seasons.
 
ADMISSION AT UCCS HOME MATCHES
General admission tickets will be available one hour before game time (cash only).
Ticket Prices:
Adults: $10
Non-UCCS students (with student ID), children ages 13-17: $5
Military members, seniors (age 55+): $3
UCCS faculty, staff, students (with ID), children ages 0-12, UCCS Alumni Association members: Free
Masks are required at all times indoors.
 
FACE COVERINGS
Per campus policy, all students, faculty, staff and visitors on the UCCS campus are REQUIRED to wear a face covering while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
 
UPCOMING MATCHES
UCCS will continue their homestand next weekend when they play host Colorado Mesa University on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., and Westminster College on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m.
 
SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.