GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University volleyball team has added two players for the 2026 roster, Head Coach
Austin Albers announced on Wednesday.
The new additions are Ashlee Macias, a transfer from UT Permian Basin, and current high school senior Molly Whalen.
Macias, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, originally hails from El Paso, Texas and earned Second Team All-Lone Star Conference honors in 2025 and set the UTPB record for kills in a match (35) last season. She will join the Mavericks as a mid-year addition this spring and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Mavericks. She led the Falcons in both kills (272) and total points (297) last season.
Whalen, a 5-foot-8 pin hitter, hails from Litchfield Park, Arizona and was the 5A Co-Offensive Player of the Year for the Canyon View High School Jaguars last fall. She will join the Mavs in the fall after her upcoming high school graduation. She recorded more than 1,000 kills in her high school career.
Full bios on both new Mavs as well as comments from Albers and the new Mavericks can be seen below.
Ashlee Macias (5-9, OH, El Paso, Texas/UT Permian Basin/Coronado HS)
Club: Texas Performance
Albers on Macias: "Ashlee is a mid-year transfer that we're excited get into the gym with us this spring. She's coming off a great sophomore campaign, and we're excited to get her installed into our systems and watch her continue to develop. Ash can score the volleyball and will give us another weapon on the left side that can impact the game in multiple phases. By all accounts she's a hard worker, a selfless teammate and someone that wants to be pushed and coached to take her game up a level. We're excited to help her grow her game and for what she will bring to the program as a person and competitor."
Career Honors @ UTPB
- Second-Team All-Lone Star Conference (OH) (2025)
- LSC Offensive Player of the Week (11/4/2025)
- LSC Freshman of the Week (11/18/2024)
- UTPB Edgardo Madrid & Associates Women's Student-Athlete of the Month (October 2025)
- Kathleen Brasfield Invitational All-Tournament Team (2025)
UTPB School Records
- Attack percentage (match): .737 percent (9/5/2025 vs. Southern Nazarene)
- Kills (match): 35 kills (11/1/2025 vs. Eastern New Mexico)
Before CMU: Played for two seasons at fellow South Central Region institution UT Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas… Recorded 374 kills (3.43/set), 289 digs (2.65/set) and 418 (3.83/set) total points in 109 sets… Set the Falcons' single-match records for kills (35) and attack percentage (.737) in separate matches in 2025.
As a Sophomore (2025 @ UTPB): Earned Second Team All-Lone Star Conference honors as the lone Falcon honoree to the all-conference units… Had also been named to the LSC Preseason Players to Watch list for offense… Suffered an early-season injury on the first day of the season but bounced back to lead the team with 272 kills and 297 total points… Played in 19 matches, starting 18, while missing eight due to the injury… Appeared in 64 of the team's 97 sets… Had the second highest kills per set average (4.25) in program history for a player with at least 500 attempts… Averaged 4.64 points per set… Totaled 688 attempts this season and led the Falcons with a .265 attack percentage... Was also fourth on the team with 200 digs (3.13/set) was sixth with 14 service aces, matching the number from her freshman season, and was eighth with 15 blocks… Was tied for second on the team with seven solo blocks… Averaged 3.98 kills and 4.33 points per set during LSC play, ranking second and fourth in the conference statistics for those respective categories… Recorded double-digit kills 13 times and had five matches with at least 20 kills… Also had 12 matches with double-digit digs… Recorded nine double-doubles (kills & digs)... Also hit at least .300 percent seven times during the season... Started her season by recording 23 kills on 54 attempts in the season-opener against Adams State (Sept. 5) and finished just one kill shy of breaking into the top-five for kills in a single match in program history…. The total ended up being the highest 3-set total in the LSC throughout the season… Also added 12 digs against the Grizzlies… Went on to shatter UTPB's previous school record for attack percentage by hitting .737 percent on 19 attempts (15-1-19) later that day against Southern Nazarene… Was named to the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational All-Tournament Team thanks to those efforts... Left the match against Southern Nazarene with an injury… Returned to the court in triumphant fashion to lead UTPB to a 3-1 win over St. Edward's (Sept. 26) in the LSC opener… Recorded 16 kills and a career-high 18 digs against St. Mary's (Sept. 27)… In her best performance of the season, Macias put down a program record 35 kills to help the Falcons overcome a 2-1 deficit and pull out a 3-2 home win over Eastern New Mexico (Nov. 1). In addition to breaking the program record, it was the most kills in a match in the LSC throughout the season… Also finished the match against the Greyhounds hitting an awesome .456 percent on 57 swings, and added 16 digs for her seventh double-double of the season... Was later named UTPB's Edgardo Madrid & Associates Women's Student-Athlete of the Month for October, and would appropriately be named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4) after her record-breaking match against ENMU... Named UTPB's Edgardo Madrid and Associates Women's Student-Athlete of the Month for October… Named to the Fall 2025 Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.
As a Freshman (2024 @ UTPB): Played 45 sets in 19 matches as a true freshman... Started eight matches… Helped the team to a 16-9 record as the Falcons won their final four matches… Totaled 102 kills (2.27/set) and 89 digs (1.98/set)... Scored 121 points (2.69/set) on the season... Added 14 service aces and seven blocks... Had a .173 attack percentage on 266 total attempts… Had five matches with double-digit kills, including a season-high 16 kills in back-to-back 3-1 wins over Western New Mexico (Oct. 19) and Sul Ross State (Oct. 26)... Had four matches with double-digit digs, including a season-high 14 digs in a 3-1 win over St. Mary's (Nov. 7)... Had three double-doubles (kills, digs) on the year, recording her first in the aforementioned Western New Mexico match… Hit .424 against Sul Ross State... Named the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Week for the final week of the regular season on Nov. 18, becoming the first UTPB volleyball player to earn the honor.
Prep: 2024 graduate of Division 6A Coronado High School… Was a 4-year varsity player for the Thunderbirds and Coach Raul Lawrence… Captained the team from 2021-23… 2020 El Paso Independent School District and
El Paso Times Newcomer of the Year... 2020
USA Today VB Athletic Honoree High School Sports Award Newcomer of the Year... 2020 First-Team All-City Team... 2021 Second-Team All-City Team... 2022
El Paso Times MVP (Player of the Year)... 2023 First-Team All-City... Member of the National Honor Society and the Key Club.
Club: Played for Texas Performance and coaches Aaron Martinez and Ricky Gomez… Was the team captain from 2019-2024… Helped the team qualify for nationals throughout from 2017-2024.
Personal: Is majoring in kinesiology… Aspires to become a physical therapist… Daughter of Alba and Guillermo Macias… Has an older sister— Aileen… Enjoys sketching, reading, bing watching shows, baking and swimming.
Why I Chose CMU: "I chose CMU because it felt like the best fit for myself academically and athletically."
Molly Whalen (5-8, Pin Hitter, Litchfield Park, Ariz./Canyon View HS)
Club: Arizona Sky Volleyball Academy
Albers on Whalen: "Molly is a player that I scouted for the last couple of years and that we're excited to have joining us in Grand Junction. She's a dynamic attacker and well-rounded player that is dangerous from either pin and is developing into a strong passer. We like her versatility, her competitiveness and her coachability. Molly has a very warm personality and a humble work ethic that is going to serve her well and resonate with our fan base. We're looking forward to seeing her develop in the maroon and gold!"
Prep: Will graduate from Canyon View High School in 2026… Coached by Stefanie Parker… Was the Arizona 5A Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2025… Also named as the 5A Desert West Region Offensive Co-Player of the Year… Recorded more than 1,000 career kills… Had 344 kills as a senior to rank amongst the top 10 of all 5A players… Was named to the ACP All-Tournament Team… Was an all-academic team honoree.
Club: Played for the Arizona Sky Volleyball Academy… Coached by Kris Naylor.
Personal: Plans to major in business… Aspires to open up her own salon with and obtain an aesthetics license…. Daughter of Colleen and Timothy Whalen… Has an older brother Liam, who plays baseball at UCCS… Outside of volleyball, she enjoys playing pickleball, sand volleyball, wiffle ball, hiking, walking and really anything active… Also loves to journal and play board games.
Why I Chose CMU: "I chose CMU because of the community, beautiful location, and the programs it has to offer me. Visiting CMU felt like it was giving me a warm hug and I am so excited to call this my home for the next four years!"
