TAMPA, Fla.— Outside hitters Sierra Hunt and Sydney Leffler and right side Erin Curl all finished in double-figures for kills as the nation's 24^th-ranked Colorado Mesa University volleyball team began their weekend in Florida with an impressive 3-set sweep over Wheeling University on Friday afternoon here at the University of Tampa's Bob Martinez Athletics Center.

Hunt had 13 kills as Leffler finished with a dozen while Curl put down 11 in the 25-21, 25-23, 25-11 win over the Cardinals, who have qualified for at least the Atlantic Regional final every season since 2011 while winning the 2015 NCAA Division II National title in one of seven NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances over the last 11 years.

Friday's win also raised the Mavericks' early-season record to 4-1 while setting up a Saturday showdown with the top-ranked and tournament host Tampa Spartans, the defending national champions.

Tampa is 5-0 after seeing off Tusculum (Tenn.), who the Mavericks will close out the tournament weekend against later on Saturday.

The Mavericks finished Friday's wire-to-wire win against their West Virginia based opponents with 50 kills while hitting .293 as a team.  Redshirt sophomore setter Sabrina VanDeList orchestrated the attack, recording her first double-double of the campaign with 37 assists and 10 digs.

Hunt hit .360 in the match while Leffler finished at .286 as VanDeList's favorite target.  Curl hit .364 and added three blocks.

Redshirt senior Tye Wedhorn also played a strong supporting role with seven kills on .316 hitting while registering six blocks.  Leffler also had three blocks, including two solos, as the Mavs finished with a 9-5 advantage.

Kerstin Layman also helped the defensive game, recording a co-match-high 14 digs while helping hold the Cardinals (1-4) to a .083 team attack percentage and just 27 kills and a single ace.

Tylah Yeomans was the Cardinals' top attacker with eight kills, but hit just .097.  Setter Karly Niesen did have seven kills on .500 hitting while doling out 17 assists.

The Mavericks never trailed and to out to early 7-2 and 13-7 leads in the first set before the Cardinals rallied back to within one at 15-14 on a Yeomans kill.

However, the Mavs maintained their lead and extended it back to four on Maddi Foutz service ace to go up 21-17.  The Cardinals then closed back within 22-20 and 23-21 before kills by Curl and Hunt, the latter of which was a reversal of the original call on a touch off the block gave the Mavs the first set.

The second set was knotted at nine before a Leffler kill and three successive kills by Wedhorn allowed the Mavs to seize control and a 13-9 lead.

Again, the Cardinals would fight their way back into the set and fought off three set points to pull within one at 24-23 before a Foutz kill gave the Mavs the 25-23 set victory.

The Mavs were then dominant in the third, getting out to a 4-0 lead while hitting .379 in the final frame.

They used a 7-0 run later in the set to open up an 18-6 lead and then closed out the match on another 5-0 run that included a Leffler ace, Hunt kill and three Cardinal hitting errors.
 
The Mavericks will face No. 1 Tampa on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. MDT (1:30 p.m. local) and then take on Tusculum four hours later.