GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  Western Colorado volleyball embarks on newly instituted pod play within the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on Thursday and Friday, taking on host and nationally ranked Colorado Mesa University, followed the next night by Westminster University in a weekend of non-conference play.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Mountaineers hosted CMU and Westminster on Sept. 28 and 29, dropping a 3-0 decision to the then-No. 12 Mavericks and getting tripped up 3-2 by the Griffins the next night.
• Western's last victory against CMU was in the 2012 season. The Mountaineers are 8-7 (since 2012) against Westminster, splitting two contests in 2022 with each team winning on its home court.
• Seyun Park ranks fifth in the RMAC in hitting percentage with a mark of .379. Park led the NJCAA in hitting percentage in 2022 playing for Seward County CC.
• Ranking 14th in total kills is Maggie Olson with an average of 2.85 per set and a total of 111 kills. The sophomore had seen limited action in 2022, accumulating 21 kills in 15 sets.
• Two other Mountaineers are ranked in the top 10 of RMAC stats: Nur Turkmenoglu is ninth in assists at 8.19/set; Kennedy Kelly is sixth in service aces per set (0.43) with a total of 13 in 30 sets played.

No. 11 COLORADO MESA HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Mavericks had an 11-match season-opening win streak snapped by No. 8 and RMAC leader MSU Denver, but immediately bounced back with an RMAC victory over Colorado School of Mines, now posting a 12-1 record overall and a 4-1 mark in league play.
• Sydney Leffler leads the conference in kills with 192 and an average of 4.27/set. Three other teammates also have more than 100 kills this season.
• Leading the RMAC in set assists is Sabrina VanDeList whose average of 11.78/set is the only player in the league north of 11/set. She has accumulated a league-high total of 530 assists.
• The Maverick defense is spearheaded by Savannah Spitzer and Aesha Alrashed at the net, and Allison Waller behind the blocks. Spitzer and Alrashed have combined for 54.0 of the team's 78.0 blocks, and Waller averages 4.48 digs/set (188 total).

WESTMINSTER HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023 Stats

• The Griffins are 4-9 overall and 2-3 in RMAC action. Their two conference victories have come against the Mountaineers and the Colorado School of Mines. Most recently, Westminster was downed in straight sets by No. 8 MSU Denver.
• Olivia Curtis is the sole Griffin with more than 100 kills, piling up 126 and averaging 2.63/set.
• The attack is set up by Leila Cornejo and Josie Gerritsen. Cornejo leads with 262 assists while Gerritsen adds 150 to the team totals.
• Five players have at least 90 digs for the Westminster defense, but only Abby Readon (142) has eclipsed the century mark. Leading the defense at the net is Mailei Myers whose 41.0 total blocks are more than half the team's total of 77.5.

UP NEXT

• Western has a rare midweek match upcoming, squaring off with host South Dakota Mines on Tuesday, Oct. 3 in an RMAC bout.
• The Mountaineers close the week out with a home RMAC match Sat., Oct. 7 against Black Hills State on Wild, Wild West Night at Paul Wright Gym.