THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team will host South Dakota Mines in the quarterfinal round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 10. UCCS enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed, while South Dakota Mines is the No. 5 seed. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Gallogly Events Center.
• Tuesday's winner will advance to the semifinal round of the RMAC Tournament.

 
GAME COVERAGE

• Fans can follow Tuesday's match through the following links:
  • RMAC Championship Central
  • RMAC Network
  • Live Stats

 
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.

 
2026 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW

• UCCS enters the RMAC Tournament with a 16-10 overall record and an 11-6 mark in conference play, earning the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
• The Mountain Lions opened the season competing in the CSM Orediggers Classic, earning a 3-2 victory over Rockhurst. UCCS followed with three wins at the Mountain Lion Classic, defeating Michigan Tech, Midwestern State and St. Edward's.
• UCCS opened its RMAC schedule with a 3-0 win at Colorado School of Mines before earning conference victories over Westminster and Colorado Mesa. The Mountain Lions also defeated Regis, South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State during the early portion of conference play.
• In October, UCCS recorded conference wins over Regis, Chadron State and Colorado State Pueblo, along with a 3-2 victory over Western Colorado at the Gallogly Events Center.
• The Mountain Lions closed the regular season with road victories over New Mexico Highlands and Adams State. UCCS defeated New Mexico Highlands 3-1 on Nov. 6 before sweeping Adams State 3-0 on Nov. 7.

 
RANKINGS

• UCCS has received votes in three American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top 25 polls this season. The Mountain Lions received 26 points in the Aug. 17 preseason poll, six points in the Sept. 14 Week 3 poll and nine points in the Oct. 12 Week 7 poll.
• The NCAA introduced the Division II Power Index (NPI) this season as its primary evaluation tool for determining postseason selections and tournament seedings in most team sports. The index evaluates teams based on their performance throughout the season and is being implemented at the Division II level for the first time in 2026.
• The Mountain Lions have appeared in all three NPI rankings released this season. UCCS debuted at No. 7 in the South Central Region in the initial rankings on Oct. 19 before moving to No. 9 in the Oct. 26 rankings. The Mountain Lions maintained the No. 9 position in the Nov. 2 rankings. The latest NPI rankings are scheduled for release later today, with the NCAA Division II Tournament bracket set to be announced Sunday, Nov. 15.

 
RMAC AWARDS

• The 2026 All-RMAC Teams will be announced this Thursday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m.
• The 2026 Academic All-RMAC Teams will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at noon.

 
RMAC BRACKET

• MSU Denver claimed the 2026 RMAC regular season title and is the No. 1 seed in the eight team RMAC tournament.  The Roadrunners will play host to No. 8 seed Adams State at 6 p.m.
• Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Mesa University tied for second in the league standings with a 12-2 RMAC record.  Mines receives the No. 2 seed after defeating Colorado Mesa in a conference match.  The Orediggers will take on No. 7 Colorado Chrisitan on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
• The final quarterfinal match will feature No. 3 seed Colorado Mesa hosting No. 6 seed Fort Lewis at 7 p.m.
• The highest remaining seed after Tuesday's quarterfinal matches will host the final four teams on campus Nov. 13-14

 
STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Payton Tompkins leads UCCS offensively, averaging 3.60 kills per set and 4.12 points per set. Both marks rank second in the RMAC. She has recorded 356 kills and leads the conference with 1,033 total attacks.
• Aubrey Miller leads the Mountain Lions with 544 assists, averaging 5.61 per set. Alysse Marcoso averages a team-high 4.32 digs per set, while Nicole Himebauch and Sydney Hyde each average 0.95 blocks per set.
• Cate Warren leads South Dakota Mines with 315 kills and averages 3.25 kills per set, ranking fourth in the RMAC. She also averages 3.54 points per set.
• UCCS enters the matchup averaging 12.98 kills per set and hitting .223 as a team. The Mountain Lions have recorded 206.5 total blocks and 1,493 digs.
• UCCS ranks third in the RMAC in total kills with 1,285 and fifth in kills per set (12.98) and hitting percentage (.223). The Mountain Lions are averaging 11.62 assists per set and 2.09 blocks per set.
• The Mountain Lions have recorded 1,493 digs and 151 service aces through Nov. 7.

 
UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions own a 12-5 all-time record against the Hardrockers, including a 6-3 mark when playing South Dakota Mines at home.  The teams split their regular season meetings this season, with the Hardrockers winning a preseason match at UCCS, 3-0, before the Mountain Lions claimed a critical head-to-head conference match win on Oct. 2 in Rapid City, S.D., 3-1.

 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES

• The Hardrockers are averaging 13.56 kills per set, 12.29 assists per set and 15.94 digs per set.
• South Dakota Mines is hitting .236 as a team and averaging 2.17 blocks per set. The Hardrockers have recorded 1,342 kills and 214.5 total blocks this season.
• Maria Bouman leads the RMAC with 0.53 service aces per set and 52 total service aces. She also ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage (.361) and averages 1.07 blocks per set.
• South Dakota Mines ranks third in the RMAC in kills per set (13.56) and digs per set (15.94). The Hardrockers also rank fourth in hitting percentage (.236) and assists per set (12.29).
• South Dakota Mines is averaging 2.17 blocks per set and has recorded 157 service aces, 1,342 kills and 1,217 assists this season.
• Lexi Glendenning has recorded 295 kills for the Hardrockers, averaging 3.04 per set.
• Emily Henderson leads the team with 605 assists, while Campbell Sheffield averages 3.63 digs per set.

 
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH TARA HITTLE

• Now in her fifth season at the helm of the UCCS volleyball program, Tara Hittle was hired in January 2022 as the ninth head coach in program history. She is 74-60 in five seasons at UCCS, including an incredible 45-14 mark in the past two years.
• Hittle led the Mountain Lions to a historic 2025 campaign, guiding the program to a school-record 26-4 overall record, its first RMAC Regular Season Championship and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA South Central Regional. UCCS opened the season with 11 consecutive wins and finished undefeated at home (13-0). For her efforts, Hittle was named the 2025 RMAC Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach in program history to earn the honor. She also recorded her 50th career victory at UCCS during a five-set win over Colorado Christian on Oct. 25.
• Prior to the record-setting 2025 season, Hittle guided UCCS to a 13-13 record in her inaugural 2022 campaign, followed by an 8-18 mark in 2023 and an 11-15 record in 2024.

 
UP NEXT

• The winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal match will advance to the RMAC Tournament semifinal round to face the winner between No. 1 seed MSU Denver and No. 8 seed Adams State.

 
SOCIAL 
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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.