GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After playing their last four and five of their last six at home, the Colorado Mesa University volleyball team heads out on their longest in-conference road trip of the season this weekend playing at CSU-Pueblo on Friday and New Mexico Highlands on Saturday.  Friday's match against the ThunderWolves is slated for 7 p.m. in Massari Arena while Saturday's encounter in Las Vegas, N.M. and the Cowgirls' John A. Wilson Complex will begin at 6 p.m.  The Mavericks are also on the road next weekend (Oct. 13-14) before returning home to face Black Hills State on Oct. 20.
 
Different uniforms, same dominance
 
CMU junior outside hitter MacKenzie Edwards was named as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after putting down 61 kills in the Mavericks' two matches last weekend.  She wore different uniform #'s in both.   On Friday, in her traditional normal No. 6, Edwards finished with a then career-high 28 kills against Adams State.  Wearing No. 3 due to a uniform snafu on Saturday, Edwards put down 33 kills against Fort Lewis.  That total was the most for any Maverick in a single-match since 2004 and was just one shy of the CMU single-match record of 34, set that year by Nikki Green.
 
Taking the lead
 
Thanks in large part to her dominant weekend, which allowed her to earn her second career RMAC Player of the Week honor, Edwards now leads the RMAC with 224 total kills.  She is second in the conference for kills per set (4.23).
 
Double-doubles everywhere
 
Four different Maverick players recorded double-doubles (10+ in two different statistical categories) in Saturday's match against Fort Lewis after two Mavericks did the same in Friday night's win over Adams State.  Edwards tallied her fifth of the season as she recorded a season-high matching 19 digs to go along with her 33 kills.  Sophomore setter Samantha Ritter now leads the team with six double-doubles this season after recording 47 assists and 12 digs against Adams State before notching a career-high 59 assists and 15 digs in Saturday's match against Fort Lewis. 
 
Sophomore outside hitter Katie Scherr had her third and fourth double-doubles of the season and her career this weekend, finishing Friday's match with 15 kills, a career-high, and 12 digs.  She then had 12 of each on Saturday against Fort Lewis.
 
Meanwhile, senior right side hitter Megan Gianinetti recorded h­er first career double-double on Saturday with 11 kills and a career-high 13 digs.
 
Defense is the key to victory
 
The Mavericks continue to pace the RMAC in opponent hitting percentage, holding their opponents to a combined. 137 attack percentage throughout the season.  The Mavericks, who rank 43^rd nationally in that category, have held opponents below .100 in half (7) of their 14 matches this season and are a perfect 7-0 in those matches, winning each in three sets.  The Mavericks are also an impressive 10-1 when opponents hit below .200 but are 0-3 when their opponents have hit .200 or better.
 
Digging into the Top 5
 
CMU junior libero Taylor Woods moved into the top 5 on the Mavericks' career digs chart on Saturday as she recorded a season-high 29 digs.  Woods now has 1,315 career digs and passed Jenny Day (1,293) on Saturday.  Megan Rush, who had 1,409 career digs from 2009-12, is the next target on the list.  Amy Hiller holds the school-record at 2,542.  Woods has reached double-figures for digs in 26 straight matches dating back to last year and has reached 20 or more digs in 10 of those matches during the streak.  She had 21 in Friday's win over Adams State.
 
Scouting the ThunderWolves
 
CSU-Pueblo has had a slow start to the campaign posting 2-12 overall and 1-5 RMAC records thus far.  However, three of their losses have come in five sets, including a match against nationally-ranked Wayne State (Neb.). Their lone RMAC win came in four sets at South Dakota Mines on Sept. 23.  The, ThunderWolves, who are 0-8 at home are in the bottom third of the RMAC in every team statistical category but do have one of the conference's top hitters in senior outside hitter Caitlin Broadwell, who ranks fourth in the conference for kills per set (3.82).  Senior middle blocker Misha McDowell is also in the RMAC's top 10 for service aces, averaging 0.31 per set.
 
Scouting the Cowgirls
 
New Mexico Highlands, which plays at home against Western State Colorado on Friday, also enters the weekend with a 1-5 RMAC record.  Their lone conference win was also against South Dakota Mines.  The Cowgirls, 4-7 overall, rank second in the RMAC as a team in serving, recording 1.53 aces per set.  They also stand third in the RMAC for digs, recording 16.42 per set.
 
Samantha Sjogren is eighth in the RMAC for service aces per set (0.32) but has only played in seven matches. Senior setter Shayli Schulz is 10^th in the RMAC for assists (8.39/set) while junior outside hitter Tiffany Matchet leads the team with over 100 kills.
 
Series Histories
 
The Mavericks have won each of the last five matches against CSU-Pueblo, although just one of those victories have come in Pueblo, where they have not played in either 2015 or 2016.  The last three victories have been 3-set sweeps.
 
The Mavericks have also dominated recent history against New Mexico Highlands, winning nine straight matches against the Cowgirls.  Four of those wins have been in Las Vegas.  NMHU's last win over the Mavericks was there on Sept. 30, 2011 (3-1).­
 
Up Next
 
After this week's two matches, the Mavericks will play at Colorado Christian and Colorado Mines, currently ranked 22nd nationally, on Oct. 13 and 14, respectively.