GUNNISON, Colo. – For the first time in over a decade, the Western State Colorado University women's volleyball team is closing out a regular season fighting for position in future matches. Last Saturday the women clinched a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time since 2003. Thursday the Mountaineers will have a rematch with CSU-Pueblo, one of only two teams this season to defeat the Mountaineers at home, in Pueblo at 7 p.m.
With a win in Pueblo the Mountaineers would secure the sixth place position and be looking to travel to the third place team next Tuesday. With a loss and a University of Colorado-Colorado Springs win over MSU-Denver, the Mountaineers would be seventh and playing the second place team.
Defense has been the key to the Mountaineers success, as the team leading the conference in opponent assists and kills and are third in opponent hitting percentage. Much of that success is due to libero
Amanda Maestas, who leads the conference in total digs with 477. Maestas is just 11 digs shy of the Mountaineer single season record set by Tanya Clark in 1995. Up front
Avery Burkholder and
Molly Hothan have commanded the net with over 80 total blocks each.
On offense, the duo of
Jordan Eatwell and
Tori Gaherty have paved the way with over 270 kills each. Eatwell has one more kill than Gaherty going into the final match of the season. The Mountaineers have not had a 300 kill season since Erin Osleson in 2008. There has not been two players with 300 kills since at least 2007.
Also for Western State,
Taylor Castillo and
Molly Hothan both have over 200 kills. The team has not had four 200 kill student-athletes for at least eight years.
Eatwell has also led the Mountaineers in serving. Her 40 this season is second in the conference and sixth on the Mountaineer single season list. She is one shy of tying Kim Sibert and Tanya Clark for fourth, three shy of third place and seven shy of second place.
Currently Colorado Mines leads the conference with MSU-Denver in second. There is a three way tie for third with Colorado Mesa, Western New Mexico and Regis University. If all three teams in third and MSU-Denver win this weekend the Mountaineers would play Regis University next Tuesday based on tiebreakers.
