<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0biSR8_1F0xkgX100" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0biSR8_1F0xkgX100" width="800" height="450" >GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Riding the momentum of a perfect 4-0 performance during their home tournament, the Colorado Mesa University Maverick volleyball team will look to start Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on a strong note when the Mavericks (6-2) host Adams State University (4-6) and New Mexico Highlands University (2-6) this weekend in Brownson Arena.Friday's match against the Adams State Grizzlies, who the Mavs swept to cap last weekend's Volley in the Valley Tournament title-winning efforts, will begin at 6 p.m. and is themed as Beach Bash in Brownson.The Mavs will then play New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls at 3 p.m. on Saturday.Tickets for both matches are available at www.cmumavericks.com/tickets and will be streamed live on the RMAC Network.Live statistics can also be accessed here.Beach Bash in BrownsonLeis and sunglasses will be handed out to the Maverick fans while supplies last prior to Friday's themed match.Last Times OutThe Mavericks went 4-0 at last weekend's Volley in the Valley Tournament.On Friday, the Mavs made quick work of Sul Ross State in their season-opener, needing just 69 minutes to claim a 25-5, 25-19, 25-14 win over the Lobos while hitting at a .469 clip, their fourth highest in the rally-scoring era (2001-Present).The Mavs then pulled out a 5-set win over Fort Hays State on Friday night in a match that lasted a full 2 ½ hours. In the process, they handed the previously unbeaten Tigers, their first loss of the season.CMU won the first two sets by 25-19 and 26-16 scores but dropped 25-23 decisions in the third and fourth set. They then trailed 12-9 in the fifth set and later staved off two Tiger match points at 14-13 and 15-14 while winning the final three points of the match to claim a 17-15 victory in the decisive set.On Saturday, the Mavs recorded a 25-10, 25-10, 25-14 sweep over fellow 2025 NCAA Tournament participants Fairmont State before capping the tournament with a 25-12, 25-18, 25-16 sweep of Adams State. Those matches lasted just 1:09 and 1:15, respectively, and saw the Mavs hit .413 and .324 as a team.Ashlee Macais led a balanced Maverick attack with 32 kills throughout the weekend.All-Tournament TeamThe Mavericks had a tournament-leading four selections to the Valley in the Volley All-Tournament Team. The Mavs selections were freshman libero Maya Grant, junior setter Hallie Hewlett, sophomore opposite hitter Henley Madsen and junior middle blocker Jaycee Windorski.Adams State, Fairmont State and Fort Hays State had two selections each.Grant had 55 digs, 12 assists and seven service aces throughout the weekend and recorded 22 digs in Friday's 5-set win over Fort Hays, the most of any Maverick in a match this season.Hewlett tallied 75 assists and a .514 set percentage as one of the Mavs' two setters in their 6-2 scheme while also adding nine digs, six aces and four kills.Madsen, who did not play against Sul Ross State, tallied 31 kills and hit at an impressive .527 clip in the other three matches. She had 15 kills on .500 hitting while adding a career-high six blocks against Fort Hays State. She also had nine kills on .643 hitting against Adams State.Windorski recorded 25 kills and hit .360 while leading the Mavs with 15 blocks (1.15/set) throughout the weekend.Dominant SetThe Mavericks jumped out to an 11-0 lead and won the first set of last Friday's match against Sul Ross State by a wide 25-5 margin.That 20-point margin of victory was the largest of any set in the Mavs' entire volleyball history.The Mavs held two opponents to nine points in a set last season and held Black Hills State to six points in the first set of their Nov. 15, 2024 match, which was the previous record.Serve &amp; ReceiveThe Mavericks sit atop the RMAC statistics through Tuesday night's matches in both service aces and opponent service aces allowed. The Mavs have tallied 58 service aces in their first eight matches and 26 sets, a 2.23 per set average. That total is more than double the 23 aces they have allowed to opposing servers, a 0.88 per set mark.Ashlee Macias has 12 aces to lead the Mavs and ranks fourth in the RMAC statistics with a 0.50 per set average. Freshman Ashlyn Persha (0.40) and Ashlyn Tafoya (0.35) also rank amongst the RMAC's top 15 servers in aces per set.Meanwhile, freshman libero Maya Grant was a perfect 67-for-67 on service receptions during the Volley in the Valley Tournament while Macias was successful in all 42 of her service receptions. Grant has a .991 season-long percentage with just one reception error in 115 attempts. Macais has a .965 percentage with just four errors on her 115 attempts.Top "O" and Top "D"The Mavericks also lead the RMAC in both hitting percentage and hitting percentage defense.The Mavs have a .283 team hitting percentage, having recorded 335 kills while committing a league-low 103 errors on 819 swings. The Colorado School of Mines ranks second at .281.The Mavs also rank 17th in the national statistics with their .283 team mark.The Mavs have also allowed just 272 kills to their opponents, which is also a good for a league-leading 10.46 kills per set allowed average. Their opponents are hitting just .150.Western Colorado's hitting percentage defense of .153 is second best in the RMAC early on in the season.Non-Conference RecordsAlthough conference play does not begin until this weekend, the Mavs' 6-2 non-conference record is amongst the best in the RMAC. Mines has the RMAC's top non-conference record at 7-1. South Dakota Mines is also 6-2 while Chadron State and Fort Lewis have both posted 5-3 records. Defending champions MSU Denver and UCCS are amongst the four RMAC teams that have gone 4-4 thus far.Fourteen conference matches are on the slate between Friday and Saturday and all 15 league teams will play at least once.Quick-working MavsSeven of the Mavs' eighth matches to date have been decided in 3-set sweeps. The Mavs have been victorious in five of those seven and were also able to win the lone longer match they have played this year— Friday's 5-set victory over Fort Hays State.The Mavs are 6-2 in both the first and second sets of matches this year. They have a 5-3 record in the third set of matches.Home Sweet HomeThe Mavericks have consistently taken advantage of their home and supportive crowd in Brownson Arena, something they hope to continue this weekend and throughout the 2026 season.The Mavs are slated to play 13 home matches this year, including the two this weekend and are already off to a 4-0 start thanks to last weekend's success.They went 7-2 at home last season and have posted an impressive 76-9 home record and .894 winning percentage since the start of 2018, losing no more than one home match in each of the previous seven seasons between 2018-24.The Mavs won their last ten home matches of 2024 and were 12-1 at home that season.The Mavs were 13-1 at home in 2023 and went 8-1 in 2022. The Mavs also went 9-1 at home in the fall of 2021. The Mavs also went 6-1 at home during the 2021 spring season while winning the RMAC title. In the fall of 2019, the Mavs went 8-1 after going 9-1 in Brownson Arena during the 2018 campaign.The Mavs were also 9-1 at home in 2015 before posting 6-3 home-court records in both 2016 and 2017. CMU was also an impressive 15-1 in 2014 en route to an RMAC Tournament Championship and NCAA South Central Regional final appearance and have had winning records at home in each of the last 14 seasons since and including 2012, going 127-26 (.830) since the start of that campaign.They are 112-17 (.868) in their last 129 home matches since 2014.In the PollsThe Mavericks were picked second and received a first place vote in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, released on Aug. 18. The Mavs picked up 169 points in the poll, trailing only UCCS' 187.Defending RMAC and national champion MSU Denver and Mines finished in a tie for third in the poll with 165 points.CSU Pueblo, which was one of the five RMAC teams in the NCAA Tournament last year, was picked fifth in the poll with 155 points.Additionally, the Mavericks are continuing to be in the others receiving votes category of this week's (Week No. 2) AVCA-Taraflex Division II poll, as they were in both in the preseason and Week No. 1 editions.MSU Denver dropped to 18th in this week's poll as the only RMAC team in the top 25 although Mines joins CMU in the others receiving votes category.Notably, Nebraska-Kearney is up one spot to seventh in the poll. The Lopers are 8-1 with their lone loss coming in the season-opener to the Mavs.Preseason All-RMACThe Mavericks had three selections to the Preseason All-RMAC teams, which were announced in conjunction the RMAC poll. CMU's picks were Aesha Alrashed, Henley Madesn and Ashlyn Tafoya, who all picked up all-conference honors a year ago.Alrashed, a fifth-year middle blocker, was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC honoree last season and recorded 108 blocks, the most of any Maverick since 2018. She was ranked fourth in the RMAC for total blocks and third with her 1.05 per set average. The Greeley, Colorado native also recorded 147 kills (1.47/set) and hit .257.Madsen, a sophomore opposite hitter out of Park City, Utah, earned Second Team All-RMAC honors as a freshman and finished second on the 2025 edition of the Maverick squad with 208 kills and 235 total points despite missing the end of the season, including both of the Mavs' post-season matches due to injury.Tafoya also earned Second Team All-RMAC plaudits as a freshman in 2025 and recorded 719 assists in her debut season, the most of any Maverick freshman in 15 years. She also had 240 digs (2.33/set) to rank third on the team and registered 11 double-doubles.About the Coaching staffAustin Albers is in his second season in charge of the Mavericks. He is just the fifth coach in program history and the third in the last 42 years. In his first season with CMU (2025), Albers led the Mavericks to a 17-11 campaign and a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.He is no stranger to the RMAC after having spent the six previous seasons (2019-24) at CSU Pueblo, where he led the ThunderWolves to a 93-61 (.604) record and RMAC Tournament appearances in all six campaigns. The Pack also went to the NCAA Tournament in both 2021 and 2022.Prior to that, he was the head coach at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he went 145-57 while leaving as the program's all-time win percentage leader (.718). He was inducted into the LCCC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025 and received the AVCA 30 under 30 award along with NJCAA Region IX and NJCAA District C Coach of the year honors.Including this year's 6-2 start, Albers now has a 116-74 (.611) record at the 4-year level and surpassed the 100-win milestone in 2025. He also eclipsed the 250 overall collegiate win milestone last year and now has a 261-131 (.666) overall collegiate coaching record.His two assistants Bri Strong and Annmarie Chin also return in 2026. Strong is entering her seventh season with the Mavs and her fourth as the program's top assistant.Chin is in her second season with the Mavs and third with Albers after assisting him at CSU Pueblo. She was then named as the Pack's interim head coach after CMU hired Albers in February, 2025, before re-uniting with Albers for last fall's campaign.Exploring the RivalriesThe Mavericks have dominated both Adams State and New Mexico Highlands in recent years.Including last Saturday's win, the Mavericks have now won 11 straight and 15 of the last 16 match-ups against Adams State. The Mavs are 43-16 against the Grizzlies in the Division II era (1992-Present) and are 22-7 against them at home during that time. The Grizzlies' last win over the Mavs in Grand Junction was back in 2012.The Mavs have defeated New Mexico Highlands 17 straight times and have won 22 of the last 23 match-ups to build aa 47-10 lead in the Division II era series rivalry. The Mavs are 25-1 at home against the Cowgirls, whose last win over the Mavs in Brownson Arena came way back in 2000.NMHU's last win overall was in 2011.About the OpponentsAdams State (Friday – 6 p.m.)The Grizzlies went 2-2 at last week's tournament, claiming wins over Sul Ross State and Fort Hays State. They then followed that up with a 3-0 road sweep at Western New Mexico on Tuesday night and will enter RMAC play and Friday night's match at CMU with a 4-6 overall record and winners of three of their last four.Carolisa Folau leads the team and the RMAC with 121 kills (3.10/set) while Aubrey Rothermich has tallied 107 (2.97), the third highest total in the RMAC. Rothermich and Sienna Markovcih, who has 62 kills (2.82/set), were both named to the Volley in the Valley All-Tournament Team.Isabella DeLaRosa, tabbed as the RMAC Setter of the Week, after recording 182 assists and a 9.58 per set average, has a RMAC-leading 366 assists and ranks third in the conference with her 9.38 per set season-long average. Her net total is the second largest in all of Division II thus far.Libero Ashlyn Jones has racked up a conference-leading 167 digs (4.28/set) and ranks fifth in the RMAC for her per set average. Jones also ranks ninth in the country for total digs thus far.New Mexico Highlands (Saturday- 3 p.m.)The Cowgirls will enter the start of RMAC play with a 2-6 record in non-conference play. They went 1-3 in both of their season-opening tournaments, picking up wins over Sul Ross State and Northwestern Oklahoma State and will play at Westminster on Friday night before venturing to Grand Junction.All six of their losses have come in three sets.Lea Süsoy, a junior college transfer and outside hitter out of Ismir, Turkey, leads the team with 67 kills (2.68/set), just two more than senior Aziza Morris, who has 65. Morris was also second on the 2025 Cowgirl roster with 267 kills.Süsoy also has 11 service aces to pace the team and was one of the Cowgirls' two picks on the Meadow City Classic All-Tournament team from last weekend. The other was Frenchwoman and libero Naya Dornic, who had 45 digs last weekend and 88 (3.52/set) thus far in the season. She ranks 12th in the RMAC for digs per set.Lenaea Carr has recorded 26 blocks and is averaging more than one (1.04) per set to rank fifth in the RMAC.Marissa Sandoval-Moya ranks seventh in the RMAC for service aces per set (0.48), having recorded ten in 21 sets played. Süsou ranks eighth with a 0.44 per average and have helped the Cowgirls rank sixth in the RMAC for team service aces per set (1.80).The Cowgirls' .138 team hitting percentage ranks last in the RMAC.The Mavericks will head to Colorado's Front Range for two of what could be amongst their most challenging matches of the entire season when they play the two defending co-champions of the RMAC. The Mavs will play at defending national champion, MSU Denver, currently ranked 18th in the AVCA poll, on Friday at 6 p.m. before taking on UCCS on Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock in Colorado Springs.The Roadrunners and Mountain Lions are both currently 4-4.</div></body>

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Riding the momentum of a perfect 4-0 performance during their home tournament, the Colorado Mesa University Maverick volleyball team will look to start Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on a strong note when the Mavericks (6-2) host Adams State University (4-6) and New Mexico Highlands University (2-6) this weekend in Brownson Arena.

Mavs set to begin RMAC play

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Riding the momentum of a perfect 4-0 performance during their home tournament, the Colorado Mesa University Maverick volleyball team

Mavs set to begin RMAC play

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