GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The nation's 25^th-ranked Colorado Mesa University Mavericks will close out a 4-match, 8-day homestand when they host the Westminster University Griffins in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Regional Pod volleyball match on Friday night in Brownson Arena.
 
First serve between the two 8-4 teams will be at 6 p.m.
 
Tickets for all of the matches can be found at www.cmumavericks.com/tickets.

For fans that cannot watch in person, there will be live steams with a subscription to the RMAC Network (more information below).
 
Live statistics for the match can also be found here.
 
Last Times Out
 
The Mavericks played their first three home matches of the season between last Friday and Tuesday.  The Mavericks went 2-1 in those matches, defeating then national poll No. 5 MSU Denver in four sets on Friday (Sept. 26) before falling in five sets to then undefeated UCCS on Saturday (Sept. 27).
 
The Mavericks then swept Western Colorado on Tuesday (Sept. 30) in another RMAC Regional Pod match.
 
Full recaps of all three matches can be found at the links above.
 
100, 101 and counting
 
New Maverick Head Coach Austin Albers picked up his 100^th NCAA win on Friday night when the Mavericks beat MSU Denver in four sets.
 
Albers was hired as the Mavs' head coach in February after spending the previous six years at CSU Pueblo, where he posted a 93-61 (.604) overall record with the ThunderWolves.  At CSU Pueblo, he led the Pack to the RMAC Tournament in all six of his seasons in the Steel City while also guiding them to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022.
 
Including this year's start, Albers now has a 101-65 (.608) career record at the NCAA level.
 
Previously, Albers was the head coach at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he had a 145-57 career record before leaving as the program's all-time win percentage leader (.718).  He was inducted in to the school's athletics hall of fame in August alongside his 2017 and 2018 teams and two of his individual players.

Albers is just the third CMU Head Volleyball Coach in the last 43 years and replaces Dave Fleming, who departed for the same role at Division I North Texas in December, 2024 after 20 years in charge of the Maverick program.  Rusty Crick had served as the Mavs' coach for the previous 23 seasons from 1982-2004.
 
Streak Snappers

The Mavericks' win over MSU Denver on Friday night snapped the Roadrunners 20-match RMAC winning streak that had dated back to 2023. 
 
MSU Denver has only lost two RMAC matches in the past five seasons combined.  Their only other loss in that time came on Oct. 21, 2023 when Austin Albers's CSU Pueblo team, which included current Maverick Sadie Scoville, took down the Roadrunners, ranked sixth in the country at the time.
 
The Roadrunners had won 48 straight RMAC matches prior to that match-up, which saw Scoville record 20 kills.
 
The now Maverick senior outside hitter had 17 kills and hit .500 in Friday's victory.
 
CMU also beat the Roadrunners, ranked No. 1 in the country at the time, last season in Denver but that Nov. 2 match was a RMAC Power Pod tilt and did not count in the RMAC standings.
 
Top Hitters
 
The Mavericks have a .271 team attack percentage so far in 2025, the best mark in the RMAC.  They also rank 12^th in the national statistics in that category.
 
The Mavs have hit above .400 on two occasions this season and have hit above. 300 in three of their last four matches, recording a .417 mark in Tuesday's win over Western Colorado and a .336 mark in last Friday's win over MSU Denver.  They also hit .357 in the Sept. 20 road win at New Mexico Highlands.
 
Freshman opposite Henley Madsen has helped lead the Mavs with a .313 attack percentage and is second on the team in total kills with 114 (2.65/set).  She ranks ninth in the RMAC statistics for hitting percentage.
 
Coco Barnett has a .378 attack percentage but falls short of the NCAA and RMAC statistical leader requirements for the number or sets played (two thirds of the team's total sets).  Aesha Alrashed is also hitting just above .300 at .301 but is just one attempt short of the number of attempts (3.33/set) to qualify for the national and conference statistical leaders.
 
46 Straight
 
The Mavericks have now been included in the nation's top 25 teams for 46 consecutive editions of the American Volleyball Coaches Association/TARAFLEX NCAA Division II Poll.  The Mavs are ranked 25^th in this week's poll (Week No. 4), released on Monday.  They had been tied for 24^th in the previous week and were tied 23^rd in the Week No. 2 poll (Sept. 15).  The Mavs were also ranked 23^rd in the preseason edition but moved up to No. 18 in the Week No. 1 poll on Sept. 8.
 
CMU has been included in the top 25 of every poll  since the Week. 1 poll in 2022.
 
Despite falling to the Mavericks, MSU Denver still leads the RMAC contingent in the poll.  The Roadrunners dropped three spots to eighth.

UCCS received more votes in the Week No. 4 poll than they had a week earlier, moving from 13 points to 70 points but did not crack the top 25.  The Mountain Lions then lost for the first time on Tuesday night in a non-conference match against CSU Pueblo.
 
The Colorado School of Mines was receiving votes in the Week No. 3 poll but were no longer listed in that group this week.
 
The Mavs have played six teams inside the current top 25 or receiving votes, posting a 2-4 record against those teams.  In addition to claiming the win over MSU Denver, the Mavs have played current No. 7 Simon Fraser and No. 22 Angelo State this season.  They also have a win over Cal State LA, which has 12 points in this week's poll, but dropped matches to Cal Poly Pomona, which has 19 points, and UCCS.
 
Six different teams in the current poll are receiving first place votes.  Central Oklahoma took over the top spot with 1,163 points and 39 of the 47 first place votes.   Tampa (1,115) and Nebraska-Kearney (1,039) both moved up a spot as well after former No. 1 Lynn lost their first match to then ninth and now-fourth ranked Barry last week.
 
The Mavs are the fourth of four South Central Regional teams in the top 25 behind MSU Denver, No. 14 West Texas A&M and Angelo State.  UCCS and Texas A&M-Kingsville are receiving votes.

Mountaineer Dominance
 
Tuesday's win over Western Colorado was the Mavs' 24^th straight over the Mountaineers since 2012.  The Mavs have dropped just one set in the last five matches over the past three seasons and have now recorded 3-0 sweeps in 11 of the last 16 match-ups.
 
The two teams will play again next Friday in an RMAC counting match in Gunnison.
 
Series History
 
The Mavericks have had a similar amount of success against Westminster.  Heading in to Friday's encounter, the Mavericks have won the last 20 and 22 of the 23 all-time matches against the Griffins.
 
The teams played three times in 2024, including the RMAC Tournament quarterfinal match that the Mavericks won in four sets on Nov. 19 in Brownson Arena.
 
The Griffins' only win in the rivalry was on Sept. 22, 2015, when they won a 4-set home match during their first year as RMAC members.
 
The Mavs are 12-0 all-time against the Griffins at home.
 
Albers went 5-1 against the Griffins in his six years at CSU Pueblo.
 
Home Sweet Home
 
The Mavericks have consistently taken advantage of their home and supportive crowd in Brownson Arena, something they hope to continue on Friday.  Although the Mavs saw an 11-match homecourt winning streak snapped on Saturday by UCCS, they have posted an impressive 67-8 home record and .893 winning percentage since the start of 2018, losing no more than one home match in each of the past seven seasons.
 
The Mavs won their last ten home matches of 2024 and were 12-1 at home last season.
 
The Mavs were 13-1 at home in 2023 and went 8-1 in 2022. 
 
The Mavs also went 9-1 at home in the fall of 2021.  The Mavs also went 6-1 at home during the 2021 spring season while winning the RMAC title.  In the fall of 2019, the Mavs went 8-1 after going 9-1 in Brownson Arena during the 2018 campaign.

The Mavs were also 9-1 at home in 2015 before posting 6-3 home-court records in both 2016 and 2017.  CMU was also an impressive 15-1 in 2014 en route to an RMAC Tournament Championship and NCAA South Central Regional final appearance and have had winning records at home in each of the last 14 seasons since and including 2012, going 118-25 (.825) since the start of 2012.
 
They are 103-16 (.866) in their last 119 home matches since 2014.
 
About the Griffins
 
Like the Mavericks, Westminster will enter Friday's match with an 8-4 overall record.  They had won four straight matches before falling at home to UCCS and MSU Denver last weekend.  They did take a set off nationally-ranked MSU Denver but were swept by UCCS
 
The Griffins, who have a 2-2 RMAC record, have shown substantial improvement over now fourth-year head coach Sue Delaney.  They have qualified for the RMAC Tournament in the previous two seasons, their first such qualifications.
 
The Griffins won just six matches in her first year in 2022 but doubled that win total to 12 in 2023 before winning 11 times last year and now have a strong chance of finishing above .500 for the first time since joining NCAA Division II.
 
Freshman outside hitter Sadie Parrish leads the team with 124 kills (2.76/set).  Senior outside hitter Breegan Huntsman has also registered 107 kills (2.28/set) and is second on the team in both kills and digs with 133 (2.83/set).
 
Senior middle blocker Hailey Killett has also registered 88 kills and leads the RMAC with her .416 attack percentage to rank 12^th in the national statistics.
 
Senior middle Mailei Meyers is also one of Delaney's top overall players and leads the team with 60 blocks (1.04/set) to rank fourth in the RMAC.  Meyers is also third on the team with 89 kills and is hitting a respectable .290.  She also has a team-leading 12 service aces thus far.
 
Freshman libero Ava Livolsi has 176 digs (4.09/set) to rank fourth in the RMAC.
 
Setters Leila Cornejo (233) and Atley Mitchell (216) have combined for 439 assists in the Griffins' 6-2 offensive scheme.
 
As a team, the Griffins are strong defensively and rank third in the RMAC for blocking (2.13/set) and fourth for digging (16.21/set).
 
RMAC Network News
 
The RMAC Network has moved to a pay-pre-view model for the upcoming 2025-26 season.  This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
 
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
 
Colorado Mesa turns 100
 
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.

Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
 
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks will return to official conference play next weekend traveling to play their two fellow Western Slope rivals.  CMU will play in Gunnison against Western Colorado next Friday afternoon (Oct. 10) at 3 p.m. before going to Durango to play at Fort Lewis on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 4 p.m.