Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

UCCS Athletics

2025 rmac vb ff preview

PREVIEW | Volleyball Set to Take on CSU Pueblo in RMAC Semifinal Matchup

11/19/2025 8:08:00 PM

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • Tuesday's 3-1 quarterfinal win at home over Fort Lewis College marks just the second time in program history that the University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team has advanced to the semifinal round of the conference tournament (2007).  The No. 2 seed Mountain Lions will take on No. 3 seed Colorado State University Pueblo Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
  • Top seed Metropolitan State University of Denver will host the final four teams of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament Nov. 21-22.  The Roadrunners will face No. 5 seed Colorado Mesa University at 5 p.m. on Friday.  The winner of each match will play for the conference tournament title on Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
  • No. 2 seed UCCS defeated No. 7 seed Fort Lewis College Tuesday night at home in the quarterfinal round of the RMAC Tournament, posting its third win over the Skyhawks this season.  The win preserved the Mountain Lions' perfect home record at 13-0, and it marked the 25th win of the season.
  • The Mountain Lions had three players tally double-digit kills, being Sydney Hyde with 14, Rylee Pitts with 12, and Payton Tompkins with 10.  Kinley Gomez led the match with 33 digs. Maylen Mitrovich (13), Tompkins (13), and Mackenzie Ransom (12) also finished in double digits. Audrey Dowd led the team with 25 assists, as Mitrovich tallied 24 of her own.  UCCS led the match in kills (61 to 51), assists (55 to 44), digs (98 to 91), and hitting percentage (.250 to .144).
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
  • The first three rounds of the NCAA South Central Regional rankings have been released this season.  UCCS was one of 10 teams in the first set of rankings, listed as a team "Under Consideration" to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, and has been ranked No. 3 in the last two rankings, including this week's rankings, which were announced earlier today.  The 2025 NCAA Division II Volleyball Selection Show will take place on Monday, Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. (MT) 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. CSUP
  • Friday's match will mark the third time this season the two teams have faced each other.  The ThunderWolves won the first matchup on their home court on Sept. 30, 3-2, in a non-conference RMAC Regional Pod match.  One month later in a conference match played inside Gallogly Events Center, the Mountain Lions snapped an 11-match losing streak to the Pack with a convincing 3-0 win.
  • The ThunderWolves hold a 35-32 edge over the Mountain Lions.  Both teams are 2-2 against each other when playing on a neutral court.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
  • CSU Pueblo earned the No. 3 seed in the RMAC tournament after finishing the regular season with an 11-3 conference record and a 20-7 overall mark.  After losing three straight road matches in October, the ThunderWolves are now on a seven-match winning streak.  CSUP advanced to the semifinal round to play UCCS after downing No. 6 seed Westminster University, 3-1, last night in Pueblo, Colo.
  • As a team, CSU Pueblo leads all 15 conference schools in blocks, averaging 2.3 blocks per set.  They are also a force at the net offensively, ranking fourth in the RMAC in points (16.9 per set), kills (13.2 per set), and hitting percentage (.235).
  • Individually, setter Elena Stankovic owns the top spot in assists per set (9.8) as she dishes out the action to Caelyn Gunn, who owns the second-most kills per set in the league, putting down 3.9 kills per set.  Golden Finch plays both sides of the net, ranking second in the RMAC in blocks (1.1 per set), and she has the sixth-best hitting accuracy with a .337 mark.
 
MOUNTAIN LIONS MAKING HISTORY
  • UCCS' .926 winning percentage (25-2) is the fourth highest in Division II.
  • Last Saturday's 3-0 win over Adams State was UCCS' 24th win this season, marking the most wins in program history, which was added to after Tuesday's 3-1 win against FLC.
  • UCCS' current 13-match winning streak is the longest winning streak in school history.
  • The Mountain Lions are 13-0 at home after Tuesday's quarterfinal match.  UCCS has one home undefeated season in the record books when they went 9-0 in 2007.  The 13 home wins 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 in 2025 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 57-48 record at UCCS heading into this weekend's action.
 
UP NEXT
  • The Mountain Lions and ThunderWolves will play each other Friday night, as they each vie for a spot in Saturday's RMAC Championship Match.  Friday's action will start with No. 1 seed MSU Denver taking on No. 5 seed Colorado Mesa at 5 p.m., followed by the Mountain Lions and ThunderWolves action at 7:30 p.m.  All three matches this weekend will be held at the Auraria Events Center on the campus of MSU Denver.

SOCIAL 
X – @GoMountainLions 
Instagram – @gomountainlions 
Facebook – /GoMountainLions 
  
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com. 
  
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. 
Print Friendly Version