THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS
- The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team returns home this Tuesday, Oct. 5 to play host to Colorado State University Pueblo at 7 p.m. On Friday, the Mountain Lions will wrap up the week at Regis University for a 7 p.m. match.
MATCH COVERAGE
LAST TIME OUT
- Playing in their first back-to-back matches on the road, the Mountain Lions started the weekend off with a 3-2 win at Adams State University for their first conference win of the season. Hannah Ammerman led UCCS with a match high 18 kills and 21 points to go with 12 digs and two blocks while hitting .293 at the net (18 kills, six errors, 41 attempts). Maren Burkhart added 16 kills and hit a team best .360 (14-5-25). Emily Ettel registered a match high 53 assists while Jordyn Kinsey led the back row with a match high 19 digs. UCCS led Adams State in every major statistical category: kills (69-53), attempts (148-146), hitting percentage (.284-.171), assists (58-44), aces (4-1) and digs (49-45).
- The following night in Las Vegas, N.M., UCCS was swept by Cowgirls during their Homecoming Weekend. Both teams recorded 36 kills each as the Mountain Lions finished the match hitting .093 while NMHU registered a .286 hitting mark. Lauryn Shockley tied for match high honors with 10 kills. Ammerman, Burkhart and Raegen Emery each chipped in six kills. Ammerman dug up a team high 10 NMHU attacks and assisted on two blocks. Ettel tallied 29 of UCCS' 33 set assists and added four kills. Kinsey, Madison McIntosh and Shockley each served an ace as UCCS finished with three aces.
- Shockley paced the Mountain Lions on the weekend, averaging 3.25 kills per set while hitting .210. Ammerman chipped in 3.00 kills per set with a 2.41 hitting mark. Ettel averaged 10.25 assists per set (82 total) and added 11 kills and two block assists. Defending the back row was Kinsey with 3.38 digs per set, while Burkhart assisted on a team high five blocks.
- In the two matches, UCCS bettered their opponents in kills per set (13.13-11.13), kills (105-89), assists (91-89), and aces (7-6), but were edged in digs (80-79) and blocks (23-12).
RMAC RECORD/STANDINGS
- The Mountain Lions are in a four-way tie for 12th place in the league standings with a 1-5 record (4-9 overall).
- CSU Pueblo and Regis are both tied with each other for second place as both teams have just one loss in six matches (5-1). The ThunderWolves enter the week with an 11-3 overall record while Regis is 10-4 overall.
THE SERIES
- Vs. CSU Pueblo: UCCS owns a 31-27 all-time series record against the Pack and are 16-12 when facing the ThunderWolves at home. CSUP has won the last three meetings, including their first matchup this season in Pueblo, Colo. (3-0). UCCS' last win over the Pack was Oct. 5, 2018 (W, 3-0).
- Vs. Regis: UCCS is looking to snap Regis' eight-match winning streak against the Mountain Lions. The Rangers lead the all-time series, 42-7, and have won 21 of 23 meetings against UCCS at Regis Fieldhouse. The Mountain Lions last defeated the Rangers on Sept. 17, 2016 (W, 3-1).
SCOUTING REPORT
- CSUP ThunderWolves: The ThunderWolves have fared well on the road this season, winning three of four matches. They are on a two-match winning streak and have won five of their last six matches. Their lone setback was to then-ranked No. 3 MSU Denver in a five-set home match.
- The Pack are the league leaders in blocks per set (2.42), opponent blocks per set (1.35) and opponent hitting percentage (.134). They have served up the third most aces in the RMAC with 96 and are fourth in hitting percentage (.226).
- Hannah Delor leads the league in aces (25) and aces per set (.48) while teammate Jazzy Espinoza is the RMAC leader with 1.17 blocks per set. Payton Stack leads the Pack in kills per set (2.54) and points (161).
- Senior libero Elaine Thibadeau was named this week's RMAC Defensive Player of the Week after racking up 39 digs over two matches in two wins over New Mexico Highlands and Adams State last week.
- RU Rangers: The Rangers enter the weekend on a five-match winning streak, four of which have been sweeps. Their lone loss of the conference season was at then-ranked No. 11 Colorado Schools of Mines on Sept. 16.
- Regis owns the second-best opponent-hitting percentage in the league (.155) and rank third in the RMAC in digs (16.46 per set), and fourth in kills (12.87 per set) and assists (11.9 per set).
- Individually, the Rangers are led by Caitlyn Burroway's 3.00 kills per set. Setter Mara LeGrand is second in the conference with 10.46 assists per set, while Nadine Burbrink owns the third most blocks in the conference with 50. Leading the back row defense is Haley Kennedy with 4.04 digs per set to go with her team high 19 aces.
HOT TAKES
- Friday night's five-set win at Adams State was the Mountain Lions first win of the conference season and first road win. UCCS is 2-2 on the season in five-set matches.
- Jordyn Kinsey is currently sixth in digs in the career record books. Kinsey has accounted for 1,206 digs in four seasons, and is 200 digs shy of fifth place, held by Kim Catlett (2012-15, 1,406 digs). She needs 605 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 five in the league in kills per set (second, 3.51), total kills (third, 179), and points per set (third, 3.93).
- UCCS is in the top half of the league in several categories, including hitting percentage (fifth, .200), kills per set (fifth, 12.41), assists per set (sixth, 11.08), and aces per set (seventh, 1.49).
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 100th 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 102-119 record (.462), and she has a head coaching career record of 109-140 (.438) 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
- The Mountain Lions, who will have played three of their last four matches on the road after Friday's match at Regis, will return home for a four-game homestand. UCCS will play host to Western Colorado University on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m., and Fort Lewis College on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. The following weekend, UCCS will host Colorado Mesa University and Westminster College.
SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
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.
