GOLDEN, Colo.  Western Colorado's volleyball team leaves the friendly confines of home for weekend Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matches, visiting No. 21 Colorado School of Mines on Friday before finishing the trip Saturday at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska.

WESTERN HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS
The Mountaineers will look to break one streak and extend another on the road trip. Mines totes a 10-match win streak over Western into Friday's match, but against Chadron the Mountaineers enter Saturday on a three-match win streak over the Eagles.

On both nights Western hopes to get off to fast starts. Several times across this early season it has dropped the opening set before starting to rally in subsequent sets. In fact, the Mountaineers' two wins have come in five-set matches.

The attack runs through a pair of setters in Lexi Wilmoth and Hailee Martinez. Wilmoth, with a 175 set assists, is just ahead of Martinez' 162 in Western's 6-2 setup.

Both Emily Mangone and Jaeda Davis-Golliher are averaging over two kills per set for the Mountaineer attack. Mangone's 93 kills in 37 sets translates into 2.51 per set, while Davis-Golliher averages 2.03 per set from 77 kills in 38 sets played.

Mangone is also adding points from behind the service line, ranking third in the conference at .43 service aces per set from a total of 16 aces.

Handling her job quite well, libero Elizabeth Rupprecht leads the team with 112 digs. Perhaps even more meaningful, she has committed just eight reception errors in 190 opportunities for a stellar reception percentage of .958 in 37 sets.

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS
The Orediggers are 8-4 overall and 3-1 in league play and enter Friday on a three-match win streak, each against RMAC opponents. Three of the program's wins this season have come against top 25 teams ranked, at the time, in the AVCA national Division II poll.

Mines began its season hosting the Oredigger Classic and in its opening match of the season, defeated Western by a count of 3-0.

The Orediggers are highly ranked in several categories within RMAC statistics. They top the league in total number of kills (652) and kills per set (15.16), and in set assists per set (14.21); they rank second in the conference in hitting percentage (.259) and in digs per set (16.63).

In individual statistical categories, setter Drew Stokes leads the conference in assists per set (12.09), accumulating 520 of the team's total of 611.

Stokes sets up the seventh- and ninth-ranked hitters in the league, Rose Stuewe and Shannon Perna. Stuewe averages 3.21 kills per set while Perna adds 3.16 per set.

In defensive categories, Elle Duis' 4.86 digs per set ranks third best in the league. Her total of 209 digs makes up 30 percent of the team's total number of digs.

CHADRON STATE COLLEGE HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS
The Eagles are 5-8 overall and are riding a three-match league win streak against RMAC opponents, which sets their league record at 3-1. Two of the three conference wins were extended to five sets.

Chadron puts its RMAC streak on the line Friday, Sept. 23 against visiting Fort Lewis College before hosting Western on Saturday.

Team rankings within RMAC statistics see the Eagles tied for fifth in the league in blocks per set (1.90) and sixth in digs per set (15.18).

Aiyana Fujiyama is the player elevating the team's blocking statistics, posting nearly one block per set (0.98), seventh best against all RMAC players. Behind the blocks of Fujiyama and others, Abby Schaefer leads the team in digs with 175.

The Chadron attack comes from various sources as four players have at least 77 kills, paced by 95 from Bella Adams and 90 from Lexi Hurtado.

UP NEXT
Western travels to Westminster College on Friday, Sept. 30, then plays at Colorado Mesa University the next night.