COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University volleyball team received six first place votes and checked in second overall in a tight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released Wednesday.
 
Three-time defending RMAC Champions MSU Denver picked up seven first place votes and topped the poll with 189 points, just six more than the Mavs' 143.  Regis picked up the other two first place votes and finished third in the poll with 174 points, well ahead of South Dakota Mines (143), CSU Pueblo (139) and the Colorado School of Mines (137), who were the next three teams in the poll.
 
Colorado Christian (126) and Chadron State (96) were also picked to finish in the top eight of the 15-team league.
 
The Mavericks are coming off a strong 24-5 season in 2023 and return five regular starters including 2023 RMAC Player of the Year Sydney Leffler, RMAC Setter of the Year Sabrina VanDeList and RMAC Defensive Player of the Year Allison Waller.  They were nationally ranked throughout the season and went 12-2 in RMAC play last year to earn the No. 2 seed in the RMAC Tournament before falling to Regis in the semifinal round after dispatching of No. 7 seed Colorado Christian in the quarterfinals.
 
CMU also received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament but fell in the opening round.
 
The Mavericks will open their 2024 campaign at Mines' Oredigger Classic in Golden on Sept. 6-7.  They will then host the Holiday Inn Maverick Fall Classic in Brownson Arena while playing four matches over three days from Sept. 12-14. 
 
Twentieth-year head coach Dave Fleming's squad will then open up RMAC play at home on Sept. 20 against Western Colorado.