Women's Volleyball Heads to West Texas

Game notes in PDF

Mavs Picked Second
The Colorado Mesa Mavericks women's volleyball team was picked to finish second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll. The Mavericks received three first place votes and accumulated 143 points. Colorado Mines is picked as the preseason favorite receiving five first place votes and 153 points. Regis and Metro State are picked to finished third and fourth respecitively. They also received first place votes. The Mavericks finished 2013 with a 13-6 conference record and 18-13 overall.

Volleyball Receives Academic Accolades
The Mavericks women's volleyball team received two academic awards over the summer. With a team GPA of 3.49 they were awarded the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Bechler Award. The award is named after Paul W. Bechler, the first Commissioner of the RMAC(1976-1990). It is given to the conference team with the highest cumlative grade point average of the players on the team. The second academic acheivement for the Mavs was through the American Volleyball Coaches Association. They were the recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award. The award is given to any team that has a GPA of 3.3 or higher.

Hess Receives Preseason Honors
Senior Melissa Hess was named to the Preseason All-RMAC team. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native led the team hitting .348 with 338 kills and 93 block in 2013. She also earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and All-RMAC First Team honors last year.

Eastern New Mexico
The Zia's will be opening their season in Canyon, Texas as well. They are coming off a 2013 season in which they finished with an overall record of 8-20 that included a 4-12 mark in the Lone Star conference. They are picked to finish eighth in their preseason conference poll. While they lose 2013 second team all-conference selectee, Hayley Couch to graduation, they return another second team selection in Lauren Frye and honroable mention member Courtney Lawson who begin their sophmore campaigns. Colorado Mesa leads the career series 9-6 over the Zias. The Mavericks beat them in straight sets last year at t he I.C. Bhakta Volleyball Invitational.

#6 West Texas A&M
The Lady Buffs not only come into the tournament as the host team but as the most feared as well. Last years team helped the historic program make its 24th appearance in the NCAA Postseason, 13th Regional Championship and Elite Eight Appearance. The Lady Buffs come into the season as the favorite to win the Lone Star Athletic Conference and are currently picked sixth in the AVCA Preseason Poll. They lose last years LSC Defensive Player of the Year Laura Iwuchukwa, as well as, All-LSC team member Halie Harton.The Buffs return fellow first teamer Lexi Davis and second teamers Lauren Bevan and Kameryn Hayes. Hayes was also named the 2014 Preseason Setter of the Year.

Texas A&M-Commerce
The Lions enter the 2014 season picked to finish fifth in the Lone Star Athletic Conference. They bring back this years Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in senior outside hitter Amy Davault. Davault was also a first team all-conference performer and newcomer of the year last year. Last years setter of the year Jordan Neal is gone due to graduation. Texas A&M-Commerce finshed last year with an overall record of 23-9, conference record of 9-7 and a fourth place finish in the LSC.

Truman State
The Truman State Bulldogs are the lone team from the Great Lakes Valley Conference to attend the Lady Buff Classic. After a 2013 season in which they finished 23-12 and made their 14th NCAA tournament appearance, they are preseason favorites to win the GLVC. They are poised to return six starters from last years squad. In three career matches against the Bulldogs, the Mavericks are 1-2. The last time the two teams faced was in 2003 when Truman State won in four sets.

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