GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After suffering their first back-to-back losses of the season, the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks will return home for three of their next four against teams below them in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball standings, including weekend matches against the conference's two South Dakota institutions –Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines.  On Friday at 7 p.m., the Mavericks, 12-6 overall and 6-4 in the RMAC, host the Black Hills State (8-11 overall) Yellowjackets, just a match behind the Mavericks at 5-5 in the conference.  CMU then plays host to South Dakota Mines (3-17, 1-9 RMAC) on Saturday at the same time.
 
October home dominance
 
The Mavericks have yet to play at home in the month of October playing their first four matches of the month the road.  However, the Mavericks have enjoyed their home-court as the weather has turned colder.  Over the past four years, the Mavericks are 20-1 (.952) at home in the month of, winning each of their last 16 matches of that sub-category.  They will play just three at home in October this year.
 
30 for 30
 
CMU junior libero Taylor Woods had 30 combined digs in last weekend's matches at Colorado Christian and Colorado School of Mines and has now reached double-figures in 30 straight matches dating back to last season.  She had 18 digs against Colorado Christian and an even dozen against Mines.  Woods is second in the RMAC for digs per set (4.87).
 
#4 for looking to be #4
 
Woods, who wears uniform No. 4, now has 1,387 career digs and will be looking to move to the No. 4 spot on CMU's career digs chart this weekend.  She currently stands in the No. 5 spot but is just 22 digs shy of equaling Megan Rush's total of 1,409 set between 2009-12. 
 
Suddenly a big match
 
The Mavericks currently stand sixth in the RMAC standings with their 6-4 mark and although they did not fall far in the standings despite their two losses last weekend, their room for error has been greatly diminished.  The Mavericks, 6-4, are just one match ahead of Black Hills State entering Friday's head-to-head encounter and are now just two matches ahead of both Adams State and Chadron State, who are currently tied for the eighth and final RMAC Tournament qualification spot.  CMU's next four matches are all against teams currently below them in the conference standings who have a combined 8-32 (.200) RMAC record.  After that, the Mavericks finish the regular season with four matches against teams currently above them in the conference standings, who have a combined 36-4 (.900) RMAC record.
 
Double-double streak stretched to six
 
Maverick sophomore setter Samantha Ritter recorded her sixth straight double-double on Friday night at Colorado Christian, recording 29 assists and 15 digs.  She paces the Mavericks with nine double-doubles in this her first year as a starter.  Ritter fell three digs short of extending that streak against nationally-ranked Mines, tallying 21 assists and seven digs.
 
Still atop the RMAC
 
CMU junior MacKenzie Edwards continues to lead the RMAC in total kills.  She now has 266 after leading or co-leading the Mavericks in that category in both matches over the weekend.
 
Other ranked Mavericks
 
The Mavericks also have two other players ranked amongst the RMAC's top 10 in their respective categories.  Samantha Ritter is now sixth in the RMAC for assists per set (10.29) and has an even 700 on the year.  Senior Megan Gianinetti is third in the conference for service aces per set (0.37).  As a team, the Mavericks rank amongst the top six in all but one of the seven primary team statistical categories.  They are second in opponent hitting percentage (.157), third in digs (16.04/set) fourth in service aces (1.37/set) and sixth in hitting percentage (.184), assists (12.25/set) and kills (13.06/set).  They are 11th in blocking (1.53/set).
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Scouting the Yellowjackets
 
The Black Hills State University Yellowjackets have played their last four matches on the road, winning twice last week at South Dakota Mines and Westminster, wins that snapped a 5-match slide.  They have a very balanced attack with four different players averaging between 2.01 and 2.28 kills per set.  Senior middle and right side hitter Sierra Stugelmeyer paces that group with her 2.28-per set average although Junior outside hitter and defensive specialist Ellise Lech leads the team with 174 total kills.  Junior middle Cheyenne Palu is fourth with 155 kills and leads the RMAC while ranking 16th nationally with 90 blocks. 
 
Laurel Lech is eighth in the RMAC for assists, averaging 8.97 per set while Sydney Ederhoff is sixth in the conference for dig with her 4.26 per set average.  Fehrin Ward paces the squad with 25 service aces, good enough to rank eighth in the RMAC with her 0.32 per set average.  
 
The Yellowjackets have played an incredible eight 5-set matches, going 4-4 in them.  However, only one of their last eight have gone the distance.
 
Scouting the Hardrockers
 
South Dakota Mines has taken their lumps in the RMAC over the last two seasons but won their first conference match in nearly two full years on Friday, winning at Westminster in five sets.  They are 3-17 overall and 1-9 in the RMAC this year after suffering through a 1-28 overall and 0-18 RMAC season in 2016, but may have turned the corner winning two of their last four overall after a 1-15 start.
 
Mikkella Reese is the lone Hardrocker to be ranked amongst the RMAC's top 10 in any of the individual statistics. The redshirt senior outside hitter is fourth with her 0.35 service ace per set average.  Reese also leads the team with 175 kills and is second on the team with 214 digs.
 
Series Histories
 
The Mavericks have won five of the six meetings with Black Hills State this decade, including four of the five since the Yellowjackets officially joined the RMAC in 2012.  Three of the five wins have come in Grand Junction in 2011, 2012 and 2014.  Black Hills State's lone RMAC win over the Mavericks was in five sets, Oct. 21 of last year in Spearfish, S.D.  The Mavericks are a perfect 3-0 against the South Dakota Mines since they became affiliated with the RMAC in 2014 and also won a 2013 non-conference match against them.  The Hardrockers' lone visit to Brownson Arena in that stretch was on Oct. 22, 2014.  The Mavericks won that match in four sets.  CMU won 3-set matches in Rapid City, S.D. in both 2015 and 2016.
 
Up Next
 
After this week's two matches, the Mavericks will play next Tuesday (Oct. 24) at Western State Colorado.  They then host Westminster on Saturday, Oct. 28.  The Mavericks started RMAC play with 3-set sweeps of both of those teams back in September.