GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— For the second straight year, the Colorado Mesa University volleyball team will begin their season at the Oredigger Classic, hosted by the Colorado School of Mines on Friday and Saturday in Golden at Lockridge Arena. The Mavericks will face former Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rival Western New Mexico on Friday at 1 p.m. and Rollins (Fla.) that evening at 7 o'clock.
Saturday's slate includes an 11 a.m. match against Texas Woman's and a 5:30 p.m. encounter with Cal State-San Bernardino, ranked 15
th in the American Volleyball Coaches' Association's Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Live statistics, provided by Colorado Mines, for Friday's matches, which will both be played on Court #2 can be
found here. The link for Saturday's matches, to be played on Court #1, can be
found here.
The host Orediggers, ranked 19
th in that poll, No. 10 Augustana (S.D.), No. 13 Wayne State (Neb.), No. 24 Northern State, Eastern New Mexico and RMAC member Regis will also compete in the 2-court, 11-team, 22-match volleyball bonanza.
In 2016, the Mavericks went 2-2 in the tournament defeating Dallas Baptist and Indianapolis on the second day to launch what would be an early-season 8-match winning streak that eventually helped pave the way for a third straight NCAA Tournament berth.
Thirteenth-year coach
Dave Fleming will hope for an equally as impressive start this year and will have three Preseason All-RMAC selections to lead the way in junior libero
Taylor Woods, named as the RMAC's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, senior middle blocker
Hattie Gianinetti and junior outside hitter
MacKenzie Edwards.
Edwards and Gianinetti earned First Team All-RMAC accolades in 2016 while Woods was a second team pick.
As a team, the Mavericks were picked third in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced Monday, and received two first place votes from other coaches in the league.
Fleming has a roster of 17 players this year, but just two seniors in the aforementioned Gianinetti and her twin sister Megan. There are four juniors in Woods, Edwards,
Natalee Todd and former
Alyssa Chutka. There are six sophomores on the roster in
Samantha Ritter,
Katie Scherr,
Allison Smith and
Camille Smith and five freshman in
Julia Baskin,
Hailey Crane,
Reed Jacobson,
Emily LaCroix-Dalluhn,
Ara Norwood and
Ashton Reese. Only Norwood and Reese are new to the squad this fall as Baskin, Crane and LaCroix-Dalluhn all redshirted in 2016.
Western New Mexico, entering their second year in the Lone Star Conference after departing the RMAC in 2015, is coming off a 16-16 season a year ago and has been picked seventh in the LSC. They went 8-12 in the LSC last year, finishing seventh. The Mavericks last played the Mustangs Oct. 3, 2015 in Silver City, N.M., falling 3-0.
Rollins, which hails from Winter Park, Fla. Is coming of a 12-16 campaign in their first season under head coach Mika Robinson. The Tars have been picked eighth in the Sunshine State Conference's preseason poll and went 4-12 in the traditionally tough conference last season.
Texas Woman's, which will be making the trip to Golden from Denton, Texas, is coming off a 9-20 season in 2016. The Pioneers have been picked to finish eighth in the Lone Star Conference after going 5-15 in the league last year.
Cal State-San Bernardino is coming off a fine 25-5 season that saw the Coyotes win the California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division and Tournament crown before advancing to the NCAA West Region Semifinals. They were a unanimous pick to win the CCAA South Division again this year.
