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PREVIEW | Volleyball Makes Return to RMAC Tournament to Host Fort Lewis

11/17/2025 8:40:00 PM

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • After winning their first-ever Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship title while setting a new program record for most wins in a season (24), the University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team secured the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and will host Fort Lewis College tomorrow at 7 p.m.  The Mountain Lions share the regular season title with Metropolitan State University of Denver with identical 13-1 RMAC records.  The Roadrunners won the head-to-head tiebreaker to earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
  • The five other teams qualifying for the conference tournament are No. 3 seed Colorado State University Pueblo, No. 4 seed Colorado School of Mines, No. 5 seed Colorado Mesa University, No. 6 seed Westminster University, and No. 8 seed Adams State University.
  • The winner between UCCS and Fort Lewis will face the winner between No. 3 seed Colorado State Pueblo and No. 6 seed Westminster.  On the top half of the bracket, MSU Denver squares off against No. 8 seed Adams State, and the final bracket slot goes to No. 4 seed Colorado School of Mines and No. 5 seed Colorado Mesa.  The highest remaining seed following Tuesday's quarterfinal action will host the RMAC Final Four teams November 21-22.
 
GAME COVERAGE  TICKETS
  • All fans will be charged admission and are encouraged to pre-purchase tickets online.
  • Ticket Prices:
    • General Admission - $16
    • Kids (6-17), Over 65 & Military - $11
    • Children 5 and Under – Free
    • Students – Free (with school ID)
 
RMAC NETWORK
  • Volleyball fans will be able to view every match of the RMAC Volleyball Tournament on the RMAC Network. RMAC Championship Day Passes are available for $15 and permit fans access to all championship broadcasts for 24 hours. All championship broadcasts are included with the purchase of a monthly or annual subscription.
 
2025 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW
  • UCCS started the 2025 season on fire, setting a new program record for most wins to start a season (12-0).  The Mountain Lions' historic start to the season was capped off with a 3-0 win at then-ranked No. 24 Colorado Mesa.  The win over the Mavericks snapped an eight-match losing streak to CMU, and it was the first win over a ranked opponent since 2017.
  • The Mountain Lions' first setback of the season came in a non-conference match at CSU Pueblo on Sept. 30.  Two matches later, UCCS fell to then-ranked No. 12 MSU Denver on Oct. 7.  The Mountain Lions rebounded from the sweep at MSU Denver and are currently on a 12-match winning streak.
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
  • The first two rounds of the NCAA South Central Regional rankings have been released.  UCCS was one of 10 teams in the first set of rankings, listed as a team "Under Consideration" to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.  In last week's regional rankings, UCCS came in at No. 3 in the South Central Region, with the final regular season rankings set to be released this Wednesday.  The top eight teams in the region will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.  The 2025 NCAA Division II Volleyball Selection Show will take place on Monday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. on www.ncaa.com.
 
RMAC AWARDS
  • After a three-year hiatus from the RMAC Player of the Week selections, the Mountain Lions broke through this season.  Nicole Martin earned the first nod when she was selected the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29.  One month later, Payton Tompkins was tabbed the RMAC Offensive Player Week, before Martin and Maylen Mitrovich were tabbed the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week and RMAC Setter of the Week, respectively, on Nov. 3.
  • The 2025 All-RMAC teams and individual award winners are set to be announced this Thursday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.  Next Wednesday, Nov. 26, the 2025 Academic All-RMAC Teams will be released at 12 p.m.
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS
  • UCCS is one of the top teams in the league offensively this year, ranking second in the RMAC in points (17.6 per set), kills (13.8 per set), and assists (12.7 per set), while ranking third in hitting percentage (.249) and service aces (1.7 per set). 
  • Defensively, the Mountain Lions are sixth overall as a team in blocks, stopping 2.0 attacks per set and are ranked ninth in digs per set (15.6).
  • Junior middle blocker Nicole Martin leads the league in service aces, locking down 44 aces in 94 sets for a .48 average.  She is also one of the top individual players at the net, ranking ninth in blocks (0.94 per set), 14th in hitting percentage (.291), and 13th in points (3.20 per set).
  • True freshman Sydney Hyde's .307 hitting percentage is the 10th best mark in the conference, while her .87 blocks per set are the 14th most.
  • Sophomore Payton Tompkins has put down 336 kills this season across 91 sets, putting her at No. 3 in the league for most kills per set (3.7) and third in points per set (5.9).
  • Quarterbacking the UCCS offense are setters Maylen Mitrovich and Audrey Dowd.  Mitrovich's 5.9 assists per set are ninth in the RMAC, just ahead of Dowd's 5.3 average (12th).
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. FORT LEWIS
  • UCCS owns a 32-26 all-time series lead over Fort Lewis, including winning the last three meetings, and is 17-8 when facing the Skyhawks at home.
  • Tuesday's match will be the third time this season UCCS has faced Fort Lewis, but the first time at home.  The Mountain Lions swept FLC on Oct. 30 in Durango as part of the non-conference RMAC Power Pod.  One week later, UCCS returned to Whalen Gymnasium to overcome the Skyhawks in five sets on Senior Night.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
  • The Skyhawks opened the 2025 campaign under new head coach Justin Wong with a 6-1 start during their preseason portion of the schedule.  The momentum continued into the RMAC season, winning five of their first six league matches, including a home sweep over Colorado Mesa on Oct. 11.  The Skyhawks have since cooled off, dropping their last six matches to end the regular season.
  • As a team, Fort Lewis leads all RMAC teams with 17.7 digs per set.  Offensively, the blue and gold are eighth in assists (11.3) and aces (1.4), and ninth in kills per set (12.6).
  • Cambria Freymuth and Alina Nunez pace the 14-11 Skyhawks, averaging 2.8 kills and 2.7 kills per set, respectively. The duo of Ariana Reyna and Addie Garn share setting duties in the 6-2 offense.  Reyna's 5.5 assists per set put her 11th in the league in assists average.  Freshman defensive specialist Alyx Daughtery is second in the RMAC in digs per set, boasting a 4.9 average.
 
MOUNTAIN LIONS MAKING HISTORY
  • Saturday's 3-0 win over Adams State was UCCS' 24th win this season, marking the most wins in program history.
  • UCCS 12-0 record to start the season, and the current 12-match winning streak is the longest winning streak in school history.
  • The Mountain Lions are 12-0 heading into Tuesday's quarterfinal match.  UCCS has one undefeated season in the record books when they went 9-0 in 2007.  The 12 home wins this season are the most home wins in any season, besting the 2017 season (11-2) and the 1991 season (11-3).
  • UCCS has recorded 14 sweeps this season and is 14-1 in three-set matches. 
  • Head coach Tara Hittle recorded her 50th career win at UCCS in a five-set victory at home over Colorado Christian University on Oct. 25.
  • The Mountain Lions have qualified for the RMAC Tournament 15 times.  UCCS is 2-15 all-time in the conference tournament, with both wins coming in 2007.
  • The last time UCCS qualified for the RMAC Tournament was during the COVID-shortened season in 2020-21.
  • Senior libero McKenzie Ransom notched a milestone in her notable career at UCCS when she recorded her 1,000th dig at Westminster University.  Redshirt-senior Maylen Mitrovich and redshirt-sophomore Audrey Dowd also tallied milestones in October, with each of them posting their 1,000th career set assist.
 
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH TARA HITTLE
  • In her fourth year leading the Mountain Lions, head coach Tara Hittle brings UCCS to their first RMAC Tournament appearance since 2020-21.  Behind Hittle, UCCS has its first winning season in eight years, when they posted a 15-12 record in 2017.  Hittle owns a 56-48 record at UCCS heading into this week's conference tournament.
 
UP NEXT
  • A win tomorrow night will advance UCCS to the semifinal round.  The highest remaining seed after tomorrow's quarterfinal matches will host the final four teams on campus Nov. 21-22.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics. 
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