GUNNISON, Colo. – Western State Colorado University women's volleyball team will take on Colorado Mesa University in the first round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Grand Junction. The Mountaineers earned the seventh seed in the tournament for the first time in a dozen years.
 
After a loss to CSU-Pueblo Thursday evening, the Mountaineers needed MSU-Denver to defeat UCCS to secure the sixth seed. UCCS upset MSU-Denver Saturday, sending MSU-Denver, Colorado Mesa, Western New Mexico and Regis University into a four way tie for second. Following the tiebreaker procedure, Colorado Mesa took over the second seed, sending MSU-Denver into third and bidding Regis against Western New Mexico in the first round. UCCS will travel to Denver to rematch MSU-Denver Tuesday, while CSU-Pueblo will travel to take on the No. 1-seed Colorado Mines.
 
The Mountaineers are led Tori Gaherty and Jordan Eatwell offensively. Gaherty looks to become the first 300 kill Mountaineer in five years. She currently has 283 kills. Eatwell is also in the hunt for 300 with 278 kills.
 
Defensively, libero Amanda Maestas leads the conference in total digs with 489. Last Thursday she broke a 20-year old single season dig record. She looks to become the first Mountaineer to have 500 digs in a season. Maestas is six digs shy of her 1,000^th career dig, and is 344 digs shy of the career record set in 2010.
 
With a win Tuesday, the Mountaineers would head to the highest remaining seed to take on the winner of UCCS/MSU-Denver in the semifinals.
 
RMAC Tournament Standings:

1. Colorado Mines
2. Colorado Mesa
3. MSU-Denver
4. Regis
5. Western N.M.
6. UCCS
7. Western State
8. CSU-Pueblo