GUNNISON, Colo.  Mountaineer volleyball hosts its home opener and begins Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action in one fell swoop Friday, hosting the Hardrockers from South Dakota School of Mines at Western's Paul Wright Gym.

League play continues Saturday with an RMAC match against visiting Colorado Christian University.

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS
Western picked up its first win of the season the previous weekend, earning a 3-2 decision over host Cal State Dominguez Hills in the opening match of its 2022 Toro Classic. Emily Mangone's 15 kills, the second highest single-match total in her career, led the Mountaineer attack, and her 8 service aces were a career high.

For the season, the three-pronged attack of Jaeda Davis-Golliher, Caroline Parker and Mangone pushes the attack. Davis-Golliher leads the trio with 44 kills, but Parker (43) and Mangone (42) are just behind her.

So far this season the Mountaineers are running a 6-2 and splitting setting duties between Hailee Martinez and Lexi Wilmoth. The difference in season set assists between the two is negligible with Martinez accumulating 100 assists while Wilmoth has registered 83.

Libero Elizabeth Rupprecht, as she did last season, is again pacing the defense in digs with 60 total and a per set average of 2.61. Despite her prowess on the attack, Mangone is also second on the team in digs with 52 (2.36/set).

Three of Western's defeats this year have come against top-25 teams.

The Mountaineers are on a three-match win streak over S.D. Mines, but Colorado Christian – a winner in a non-conference battle earlier this season – and Western split conference matches last season, each winning at home by 3-0 scores.

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS
The Hardrockers enter Friday's match with a 4-5 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the conference after defeating Black Hills State University, 3-2, Tuesday evening. The victory gave the Hardrockers their second consecutive win.

Mines has extended matches to five sets in three of its nine outings, recording a 1-2 mark in those contests. A common opponent this season with Western is Northern State (N.D.) University which defeated Mines and Western by identical 3-0 scores.

The Hardrocker attack runs through Kiley Metzger and Jacey Koethe. Metzger leads the team with 313 set assists while Koethe has accumulated 116 kills (next on the list is Morgan Daugherty with 68).
Koethe is also the leading blocker with 10 solo blocks and 25 block assists. And when attacks get past Koethe and the Hardrocker blocks, Anna Thomas is there at the rescue with 155 digs.

COLORADO CHRISTIAN HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS
The Cougars head into an RMAC match Friday at Adams State (3-5/0-0 RMAC) with a 5-4 record that includes that win over Western at the Oredigger Classic. CCU and Western both played a ranked Southwest Minnesota State squad at the Classic with the same result, 3-0 losses.

Moving into the weekend the Cougars have put together a three-match win streak, winning once in three sets, once in four, and once in five sets.

Like with S.D. Mines, the Cougar attack runs through its setter and a specific attacker. Izzy Jones has 316 assists (rest of team: 59), setting up leading hitter Libby Goodman (122 kills).

CCU is also sparked by its defense, especially at the net. With an average of 1.9 blocks per set, the trio of Renee Phillips (9 solo/19 block assists), Lilly Woods (4/18) and Goodman (3/13) pose a tough get-around for opposing hitters. Behind them, Madelyn Long, with 102 digs, and Jones (79) have been there to scoop up anything that evades the blocks.

ON THE HORIZON
Western makes a quick trip to Fort Lewis College on Tuesday, Sept. 13 before returning home for a second league match in the week on Friday against visiting Regis University.