GUNNISON – Western State Colorado University women's volleyball team will play a split weekend in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this week. The Mountaineers will take on Colorado Mesa University tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. in Grand Junction, then head to Salt Lake City, Utah, to take on Westminster College at 4 p.m.
 
The Mountaineers (11-9, 7-5 RMAC) are currently tied for fifth in the conference standings with UCCS and Adams State University. Western is coming off of a two-win weekend in South Dakota, the same trip in which Colorado Mesa dropped their second conference match against Black Hills State University.
 
Tuesday will put two of the top defensive teams up against one another. Earlier in the season, Colorado Mesa came to Gunnison and left with a four-set win that featured many close sets. This time around, Colorado Mesa (16-4, 10-2 RMAC) is receiving national votes and feature the second-best offense and best defense in the conference. The Mountaineers are the second-best defense in the conference statistically, and have found strides in their offense behind Molly Hothan and Tori Gaherty. Hothan is fourth in the conference in hitting percentage with a team-best .312. Gaherty is ninth in the conference with 3.43 kills per set, and is coming off of a career-high 27 kills match against Black Hills State, the conference's best blocking and digging team.
 
Two other teammates are making huge strides for the Mountaineers. Allison Walker is coming off of her third 50-assist match of the season, and is seventh in the conference with 9.77 assists per set. She will have her hands full as the Mavericks are first in opponent assists per set in the conference. Behind her at libero, Amanda Maestas has become the Mountaineer's All-Time Career Digs Leader and is ninth in the conference in digs per set. With the previously looming goal behind her, Maestas and the rest of the Mountaineer backrow looks to push through the final six matches and into the conference tournament.
 
The Mountaineers will return home next weekend to take on the conference leaders, MSU-Denver Saturday evening, but before that will take on UCCS. Friday's matchup that will have huge implications on the final conference standings, and is one of two very important matches remaining for the Mountaineers as they have matchups with both teams they are tied with to close the season.