GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University volleyball team will play in their fourth straight NCAA Tournament and will face Dallas Baptist University in the opening round for the third consecutive year when the Mavericks and Patriots collide on Friday in San Angelo, Texas.
 
The South Central Regional quarterfinal between the fourth-seeded Patriots (19-9) and the fifth-seeded Mavs (23-5) will begin at 4:30 p.m. CST (3:30 p.m. Mountain) in Angelo State University's Junell Center and Stephens Arena.
 
The winner will play in the regional semifinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. CST (6 p.m. Mountain) against the winner of the final quarterfinal match between the top-seeded and host Rambelles and the eighth-seeded Colorado Christian University Cougars, who will play against each other on Friday evening.
 
The other half of the bracket includes No. 2 seed West Texas A&M, who will play against No. 7 seed UT Tyler and the opening match-up between No. 3 seed MSU Denver and No. 6 seed Texas Woman's.

Sunday's regional title match will begin at 4 p.m. CST (3 p.m. Mountain), which will send the winner off to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the Dec. 12-14 NCAA Division II National Champions.
 
Follow the Tournament
 
Angelo State's tournament website can be found here: https://angelosports.com/sports/2024/11/26/2024-division-ii-south-central-regional.aspx .
 
That site has information about tickets, which are now available, as well as links to live stats and the live streams, which will be free to watch through FloVolleyball.

A full recap will be posted on www.cmumavericks.com following Friday's match.

Six of the other seven regional tournaments around the country will begin on Thursday while the Southeast Regional will also begin on Friday.  An interactive bracket for the entire tournament can be found here.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Mavericks saw their RMAC Tournament run cut short in the semifinal round on Nov. 22 as they were swept and upset by Colorado Christian.  The Mavs were seeded second while the Cougars, who were coming off a quarterfinal win over No. 3 seed South Dakota Mines, were seeded sixth.
 
The Mavs were held to a season-low totals for both kills (36) and (25) and were swept in three sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-20) for the first time all season.
 
Nicole Martin led the Mavs in kills with eight while Sierra Hunt and Sydney Leffler both had seven.  Sabrina VanDeList tallied 34 assists while Jordan Woods got the starting nod at libero and finished with eight digs while matching her season-high with three aces.
 
NCAA History
 
The Mavericks are making their fourth consecutive and 12^th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, 11 of which have now come under 20^th-year Head Coach Dave Fleming.
 
The Mavs have a combined 8-11 record in their previous appearances, reaching the regional final in both 2006 and 2014.
 
The Mavs are 6-5 in the first round, including their 1-1 record against DBU in the past two years.
 
CMU defeated the Patriots in the opening round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament but dropped last year's match in Canyon, Texas.
 
The Patriots are making their third consecutive and fifth overall NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
The Mavs are 8-10 in the NCAA Tournament under Fleming and have a 6-4 first round record under his direction.
 
Here is a look at all of the Mavs' previous NCAA Tournament results by year.
 
2004 (0-1): L, Eastern New Mexico (2-3)
2005 (1-1): W, Western New Mexico (3-0) & L, Nebraska-Kearney (0-3)
2006 (2-1): W, Nebraska-Kearney (3-2); W, MSU Denver (3-2) & L, West Texas A&M (2-3)
2007 (0-1): L, Nebraska-Kearney (0-3)
2014 (2-1): W, Angelo State (3-0), W, West Texas A&M (3-1) & L, Arkansas-Fort Smith (1-3)
2015 (1-1): W, Tarleton State (3-2) & L, Arkansas-Fort Smith (2-3)
2016 (0-1): L, MSU Denver (2-3)
2018 (1-1): W, Dixie State (3-0) & L, Texas A&M-Commerce (L, 2-3)
2021 (0-1): L; UT-Tyler (1-3)
2022 (1-1): W, DBU (3-2) & L, MSU Denver (2-3)
2023 (0-1): L, DBU (0-3)
 
History Making Class
 
The Mavericks have five players who have all been a part of the Mavs' run of four consecutive 20-win seasons and now a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.  No other Maverick senior class has had four straight 20-win seasons in the Division II era (1992-Present) and only one former Maverick player in Drew Choules (2004-07) will have played in four straight NCAA Tournaments.
 
Additionally, Fifth-year Mavericks Sierra Hunt, Hahni Johnson and Sabrina VanDeList were all a part of the Mavs' 15-1 and RMAC title winning 2021 spring season, an abbreviated and modified campaign in which there was no NCAA Tournament to qualify for.  That group has helped the Mavs to post an impressive 105-23 (.820) record in their five seasons.

It is worth noting that Hunt redshirted due to injury last year.  She is listed as a redshirt junior on the Maverick roster and would be eligible to return for a sixth year next fall but was recognized during CMU's Senior Night festivities.
 
True seniors Sydney Leffler and Jordan Woods' 4-year class (Fall 2021-2024) has a 90-22 (.804) record.
 
CMU's other senior Stormi Tadlock joined the program this season after spending 2 ½ seasons and three indoor seasons at Drury University.
  
About the Patriots
 
The Dallas Baptist University Patriots are currently 19-9 overall and went 12-4 in Lone Star Conference play before advancing to the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed with a 3-0 quarterfinal win over fourth-seeded Texas Woman's.  They were then downed 3-0 in the semifinals at LSC regular season and tournament host West Texas A&M.
 
Fourth-year Head Coach Jordan Fish had six total All-LSC picks on her squad including first team picks Delaney Fuller and Shaylee Shore.
 
Fuller, a fifth-year senior outside hitter, began her collegiate career at Angelo State, leads the LSC by a wide margin with 479 kills and a 4.61 per set average, which puts her sixth in the national statistics.  She was also named to both the AVCA and D2CCA All-South Central Region teams on Wednesday and was last year's LSC Conference Player of the Year.
 
Fuller, who takes 12.23 swings per set, the fifth highest average in Division II volleyball, also leads the Patriots with 41 service aces (0.39/set) and is second on the squad with 273 digs (2.63/set).
 
Shore, a 6-foot-2 senior middle blocker, ranks second in the LSC with her .412 attack percentage and has registered 196 kills (1.88/set) and a team-leading 100 blocks (0.96/set).
 
Senior setter Aryn Walton earned Second Team All-LSC accolades and has recorded 1,097 assists (10.55/set) this season to rank fourth in the conference.  She also ranks 11^th in the LSC for service aces, averaging 0.35 per set.
 
Fifth year defensive specialist Daylee Doggett also picked up second team all-conference plaudits and has registered 504 digs (4.85/set) to sit fourth in the LSC statistics.
 
Karly Wells, a strong secondary hitting option, also earned second team honors and has recorded 357 kills (3.43/set) while hitting .248, 19 points higher than Fuller.
 
Honorable Mention All-LSC pick Lindsey Otero is also hitting a strong .381 and has 103 kills (1.05/set) and 92 blocks (0.94/set) in the other middle blocker position.
 
Series History
 
The Mavericks are a strong 9-1 all-time against the Patriots and had been undefeated against them prior to last year's NCAA Tournament match-up in Canyon, Texas.
 
The Mavs are 8-1 against them on neutral courts and are 3-1 against them in the state of Texas, having defeated them in San Angelo during early season tournaments in both 2005 and 2013 under Dave Fleming and on Sept. 1, 2000 under former Maverick legendary coach Rusty Crick.
 
Veteran Court Boss
 
CMU Head Coach Dave Fleming, in his 20^th year in charge of the Maverick program, is the longest-serving and winningest active head coach in the RMAC, racking up 390 overall career wins and a .681 winning percentage (390-183) in his tenure. 
 
He and his Maverick squads have fared even better in conference play, as Fleming has an impressive .733 winning percentage (258-94) when coaching conference matches.  Fleming recently claimed his 250^th career RMAC win at home against CSU Pueblo.
 
He is just one of six RMAC Coaches to have 300 or more overall wins while coaching in the league.
 
Fleming has been named as the RMAC Coach of the Year four times and has guided the program to four total RMAC regular season and tournament titles and to three other RMAC West Division crowns.  They have had winning campaigns in 19 of his 20 previous seasons and have now reached 20 wins nine times, including in each of the last four seasons after going 15-1 to win the RMAC title in the spring of 2021, an abbreviated season.
 
The Mavs also have reached the NCAA Tournament 11 times under Fleming, including in each of the last four.
 
Fleming is 8-1 against the Patriots and is 2-1 in the coaching battle with DBU counterpart Jordan Fish.
 
San Angelo Success & Possible 5-Set Foreshadowing
 
The Mavericks are 9-2 in San Angelo, Texas under Dave Fleming, who recorded his first four head coaching victories there at the very beginning of his CMU tenure in 2005.  The Mavs also went a perfect 4-0 at Angelo State's 2013 season-opening tournament.   
 
This year's trip will also mark the third time that the Mavs have played the NCAA South Central Regional there.  In 2015, the Mavs beat Tarleton State in the opening round before falling in the second round at Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
In 2016, the Mavs dropped their opening round match to MSU Denver in the Rambelles' Junell Center.  That was CMU's last match there.
 
All three of the previous regional matches in San Angelo have been decided in five sets.
 
Double-Digit Win Streaks
 
Although the winning streak was snapped in the Mavs' regular season finale at South Dakota Mines on Nov. 16, the Mavericks had won 14 straight matches leading into that match.  They have now posted six double-figure winning streaks under Head Coach Dave Fleming and in their Division II history, including one in all five of the Mavs' seasons this decade.
 
Their 14-match winning streak is the third longest in their Division II history, which dates back to 1992.
 
The Mavs also won 11 straight matches in 2023, starting the year 11-0 and won 12 straight matches from Sept. 24-Nov. 1 in 2022.
 
They also won 10 straight from Oct. 2-Nov. 5 during the 2021 fall season and started the 2021 spring season with a 15-match winning streak before finishing that COVID effected season with a 15-1 record.
 
The Mavs' longest winning streak in program history is 20 matches, which came in the 2014 season, when CMU went 29-4 while winning the RMAC Tournament and reaching the NCAA South Central Regional Final.
 
Bouncing Back
 
The Mavericks have been able to bounce back from each of their five losses this season by winning their ensuing match, a trend the Mavs will hope to do so again on Friday.
 
20 & Counting
 
The Mavericks have now reached and surpassed the 20-win mark for the fourth straight season and for the ninth time under 20^th year Head Coach Dave Fleming.  The Mavs went 24-5 in 2023, 22-7 in 2022 and 21-7 in 2021.
 
RMAC History Maker
 
Maverick setter Sabrina VanDeList made conference history this season as she was named to the First Team All-RMAC squad for the fifth time.  VanDeList was also named as the RMAC Setter of the Year for the second straight season and is now the only player in conference history to earn five First Team All-RMAC honors, made possible by her use of the NCAA's COVID related eligibility waiver.
 
She was tabbed as the RMAC Freshman of the Year during the abbreviated and pandemic-effected 2021 spring season, which saw the Mavericks win their first 15 matches to win the RMAC regular season title before ending their season with a 15-1 record after falling in the semifinal round of the RMAC Tournament, which CMU hosted.
 
Four First Teamers
 
VanDeList was one of four Mavericks on the First Team All-RMAC squad.  Her three favorite hitters in outside hitter Syndey Leffler, right side hitter Sierra Hunt and middle hitter Nicole Martin joining her.  That trio has combined for 1,013 kills this season.
 
Leffler was picked to the first team for the second straight and third overall time.  She was tabbed as the RMAC Freshman of the Year in 2021 as well and picked up second team honors as a sophomore in 2022.
 
Hunt earned a previous first team honor in that season and was an honorable mention all-conference pick in the spring of 2021.
 
Martin received her first All-RMAC honor on Thursday.
 
The Mavericks also had an honorable mention pick this year in junior Allison Waller, who was a First Team All-RMAC pick and the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year last season.
 
All-Region Leaders
 
The Mavericks were the only program in the region to have two first team selections on the D2CCA All-South Central Region squads, which were announced on Wednesday.  Setter Sabrina VanDeList and Sydney Leffler were both repeat picks.
 
That 7-person squad, selected by position via a vote of sports information directors in the region, also included players from Angelo State (Caleigh Enax), MSU Denver (Riley Anderson), Regis (Amelia Davis) and West Texas A&M (Taytum Stow).  Angelo State did have four total picks, with three second team picks joining Enax.
 
Anderson was named as the region's player of the year after Leffler earned that honor last season. 

Leffler also earned second team honors as a freshman and is just the second Maverick in program history (Drew Choules) to earn three D2CCA all-region honors.

More All-Region Honors

Minutes after the D2CCA All-Region honors where announced on Wednesday, the AVCA announced its' all-region teams, chosen by member coaches.  Sabrina VanDeList was the Mavs' lone representative on the 14-player first team unit.  Three other Mavs in Sierra Hunt, Sydney Leffler and Nicole Martin were also amongst the six players from the region to receive honorable mention accolades.

VanDeList was also on the first team last year and was an honorable mention pick in 2022.  Leffler also earned first team honors in 2023 and honorable mention plaudits in 2021 as a freshman, when she was named as the AVCA South Central Freshman of the Year.  Hunt was an honorable mention all-region pick in 2022.

Martin's honor is the first all-region plaudit of her 2-year collegiate career.

5K Setter
 
Sabrina VanDeList will also nearly certainly become the Mavs' first player to ever record 5,000 career assists on Friday night.  She will enter the NCAA Tournament with 4,990 career assists and ranks third amongst all active Division II players throughout the country with that total.
 
VanDeList is the Mavs' all-time record holder for both assists and career service aces (183) and  leads the RMAC by 84 assists this year, having recorded 1,174 so far this season.  She has surpassed the 1,100 mark in four straight seasons and is just two away from matching last year's total of 1,176, the best of her career to date.
 
VanDeList also comfortably leads the RMAC with her 11.86 per set average, which is the best average of her career. 
 
Colorado Christian's Izzy Jones is second in the RMAC with a 11.01 per set average and 1,090 total assists entering the NCAA Tournament.
 
Angelo State's Adeline Ortman leads VanDeList by two total assists for the region high with 1,176 entering the NCAA Tournament but is behind VanDeList in the per set average at 11.64 having played in 101 sets, two more than VanDeList and the Mavs.
 
Kill title fight
 
Maverick senior outside hitter Sydney Leffler will need 17 NCAA Tournament kills to win the RMAC's total kills fight for the second straight year.  She enters the NCAA Tournament with 398 kills and a 4.02 per set average, marks that trail only South Dakota Mines' Alessandra Meoni, who has 414 kills and a 4.06 per set average.  Meoni's Hardrocker squad did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament after being upset by Colorado Christian in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals.
 
Leffler also sits second behind Meoni in total points, having recorded 457, just 16 fewer than Meoni's total of 473.  Meoni also has the slightest 4.64 to 4.62 points per set lead.
 
Leffler led all four categories in 2023 and was named as the RMAC Player of the Year last season after recording 441 kills (4.37/set) and 471 total points (4.66/set) last year.  What she has given up in kills, Leffler has more than made up in serving and defense.
 
A returning First Team AVCA All-American and now 3-time First Team and 4-time overall All-RMAC pick,  Leffler has recorded 24 of her 41 career service aces this year and ranks second on the team behind only Sabrina VanDeList in that category.  She also has 205 digs (2.07) to sit third on the team behind only libero Allison Waller and VanDeList after recording just 160 digs in her first three seasons combined.
 
Leffler has also put up a career-high 49 blocks this season.
 
1,500 Club & Active Leader
 
Leffler is also the current leader amongst active RMAC players with her career total of 1,507 career kills.  That total puts Leffler 14^th amongst all active NCAA Division II players and fourth highest in CMU history and third highest in the rally-scoring era.
 
First Set Oddity
 
The Mavericks won the first set of all 26 regular season matches but saw that opening set winning streak come to an end in the RMAC Tournament, which has seen the Mavs drop the opening frame in both their 3-1 quarterfinal win over Westminster and their 3-0 semifinal loss to Colorado Christian.
 
Home Sweet Home
 
The Mavericks have consistently taken advantage of their home and supportive crowd in Brownson Arena, something they continued this year.  The Mavs won their final ten home matches of the season and finished the year 12-1 at home this fall.  The Mavs have not lost more than a single home match in each of the last seven seasons since 2018, going 65-7 (.903) in that stretch.
 
The Mavs are also 101-15 (.871) in their last 116 home matches since the start of 2014., when they went 15-1 at home en route to a RMAC Tournament Championship and NCAA South Central Regional final appearance.
 
The Mavs have now had winning records at home in each of the last 13 seasons since and including 2012, going 116-24 (.829) since the start of 2012.
 
Poll Streak reaches 40
 
The Mavericks are ranked 19^th in the final regular season edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association/TARAFLEX NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll, which was released last Monday (Nov. 25), hours before the NCAA Tournament selections.
 
CMU has now been ranked amongst the nation's top 25 in 40  consecutive polls since the first regular season poll of the 2022 campaign.  They had hovered between No. 14-18 all season before dropping slightly to 19^th after their 1-1 RMAC Tournament effort.
 
CMU is the fourth of four South Central Regional teams in the top 25 of the poll while DBU is receiving votes.
 
MSU Denver (27-2), seeded third in the regional tournament, Is ranked third in the national poll and the highest ranked of three South Central Region teams in the top ten of the poll.

Angelo State (28-2) moved up three spots to a season-best seventh after winning the LSC Tournament while West Texas (25-4) dropped three spots to eighth in the latest national poll.
 
The Mavs are 2-2 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest poll this year, having split two matches with MSU Denver while defeating now ninth-ranked Concordia-St. Paul, ranked fourth at the time, on the opening day of the season (Sept. 6).  The Mavs fell to Angelo State, which was receiving votes at the time, eight days later, in their only home defeat this season.
 
Up Next
 
If the Mavericks win on Friday, they would improve to 24-5, matching their final 2023 season record.  They would also advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in program history and for the second time in three years.
 
Additionally, a Friday night win would give the Mavericks a re-match against either Angelo State or Colorado Christian in the second round on Saturday night.  The Mavs split two earlier matches against Colorado Christian, which knocked the Mavs out of the RMAC Tournament.  CMU's only home loss this season came to Angelo State, which has won 16 straight matches overall, including their last ten home affairs.
 
A Thursday night loss would end the Mavs' season and the careers of the Maverick seniors.