GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After remaining undefeated at home with two wins last weekend, the Colorado Mesa University women's volleyball team will look to take their momentum on the road playing three matches in a span of five days.
Winners of four straight and 11 of their last 12 overall and tied for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference lead and the conference's best overall record, the Mavericks (13-3, 5-1 RMAC) will begin the stretch on Colorado's Front Range, playing at Colorado Christian (7-7, 4-2 RMAC) on Friday before heading to Pueblo for a Saturday night encounter at CSU Pueblo (8-9, 3-3 RMAC).
The Mavs will then return home for a brief respite before heading West to Utah to face Westminster, currently 3-11 overall and 2-4 RMAC on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
All three matches will begin at 6 p.m. on their respective nights and will be
streamed on the RMAC Network.
Live statistics can be accessed at the various links above.
Last Times Out
The Mavericks went 2-0 last weekend, sweeping Western Colorado on Friday night before claiming a 4-set win over Fort Lewis on Saturday afternoon.
In Friday's win, the Mavericks received a combined 22 kills from outside hitters
Ashlee Macias and
Molly Whalen in a 25-16, 25-6, 25-17 sweep. The Mavs hit .319 as a team throughout the match and used an 11-0 run during the second set domination, in which they hit .500. Macias hit .500 personally, putting down 12 kills with just two hitting errors on 20 swings.
The Mavs have now won 27 straight matches against the Mountaineers since 2012.
In Saturday's 4-set win, Macias put down a season-high 19 kills while registering her fifth double-double of the campaign with 13 digs. She also hit .424 and added a season-high three blocks helping CMU record 11 in total.
Addie Ritterbush also had 11 kills on .409 hitting while Whalen recorded ten more kills to help CMU hit .311 as a team.
Player of the Week
Maverick junior outside hitter Ashlee Macias was tabbed as the RMAC's Offensive Player of the Week on Monday and is the first Maverick honoree from the balanced squad to have been recognized this season.
The El Paso, Texas native recorded 32 kills, good for an average of 4.43 per set, and hit a combined .453 in the Mavs' two wins.
Macias has now earned conference player of the week honors in two different leagues during her collegiate career. She was the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 4, 2025 while playing for UT Permian Basin. She earned Second Team All-LSC accolades for the Falcons last season.
Macias is leading a balanced Maverick attack in kills (166), service aces (23) and total points (197 this season. She also ranks second in the RMAC for service aces per set (0.43), fifth for points per set (3.72) and seventh for kills per set (3.13).
In the Nation's Top 10
The Mavericks continue to lead the RMAC in hitting percentage and raised their season-long mark to .291 with .319 and .311 efforts in their wins over Western Colorado and Fort Lewis last weekend. In the process, the Mavericks moved up to eighth in the national statistics.
The Mavs also have four of the top ten individual hitters in the RMAC.
Addie Ritterbush ranks second at .362 while
Jaycee Windorski is fourth at .349.
Henley Madsen is ranked seventh at .309 while
Molly Whalen ranks ninth at .306.
For those unfamiliar with the hitting percentage calculations, the number is calculated by taking the total number of kills from a player or team and subtracting the number of errors they have committed before dividing that new number by the number of attack attempts they have taken.
It is regarded similarly to a batting average in baseball or softball as one of the main metrics to evaluate performance.
Top D
The Mavericks also top the RMAC statistics in the RMAC defensive statistics, holding their 14 combined opponents thus far to a .150 attack percentage.
The Colorado School of Mines (.161), Adams State (.181) and Western Colorado (.181) are the three teams behind the Mavs in that statistical category.
Ace-ing their way to victory
The Mavericks recorded ten service aces in Friday's win over Western Colorado and did not allow a single one to the Mountaineers. The Mavs then added five more aces in Saturday's victory, although they were "out-aced", 6-5 by the Skyhawks.
The Mavericks lead the RMAC with 113 service aces and a 2.05 per set average, that is well ahead of Westminster's second-ranking average of 1.73.
The Mavs' total is more than double the number of aces they have conceded (56) to their opponents. They also lead the RMAC in that category, giving up just 1.02 aces per set.
The Mavs have recorded more aces than their opponents in 11 of their 16 matches, going a perfect 11-0 in those matches. They are 2-2 when their opponents have had more aces and are 0-1 when both teams have had the same numbers of aces.
Former Teammates & Return Trip
Numerous Mavericks will take on former teammates on both Friday and Saturday evening, when the Mavs play on the road. Three current Mavs in
Kaitlyn Hall,
Hallie Hewlett and
Macy Wood played for the CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves under CMU Coach
Austin Albers, who recruited and guided them in the Steel City before being hired for his current role at CMU in February, 2025. The trio then transferred to CMU for the 2025 season.
Meanwhile,
Emma Luce, who played at CMU in 2024 and 2025, went the other direction through the transfer portal and is now playing for CSU Pueblo.
Saturday's match will mark the first time that Albers has coached in Pueblo with the visiting team. Last year's match with CSU Pueblo was in Grand Junction. The Mavs won that encounter on Oct. 18, 2025 in four sets.
The Mavs will also take on another former teammate on Friday in Colorado Christian's sophomore outside hitter Sinna Thatcher, who leads the Cougars with 160 kills this season.
First Four-Setter
The Mavericks played their first 4-set match of the season on Saturday, defeating Fort Lewis. Ten of the Mavericks' 13 wins have come in 3-set sweeps. They also have a 2-1 record in 5-set matches.
In 2025, the Mavs played nine 4-set matches.
Home Sweet Home
The Mavericks have consistently taken advantage of their home and supportive crowd in Brownson Arena, something they continued to do last weekend. With their two wins last weekend, the Mavs are now 9-0 at home this season and have now won 11 straight at home overall dating back to last season.
They went 7-2 at home last season and have posted an impressive 81-9 home record and .900 winning percentage since the start of 2018, losing no more than one home match in each of the previous seven seasons between 2018-24.
The Mavs won their last ten home matches of 2024 and were 12-1 at home that 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 132-26 (.835) since the start of that campaign.
They are 117-17 (.873) in their last 134 home matches since 2014.
In the Poll
The Mavericks are continuing to be in the others receiving votes category of
this week's (Week No. 6) AVCA-Taraflex Division II poll, as they have been in the six previous editions, including the preseason poll.
They lead that category this week and are knocking on the door of the top 25 for the first time this season.
The Mavericks have a season-high 34 points in this week's poll, seven more than a week ago and are just nine points shy of Alaska-Fairbanks, which now sits in the No. 25 spot with 43.
The Mavs are 2-0 against other nationally-ranked teams at the time of the match, defeating then seventh-ranked Nebraska-Kearney in the season-opener. The Lopers have since won 17 straight matches without dropping a set and are 17-1. They moved up a spot to fifth in this week's poll.
MSU Denver, who the Mavs beat on Sept. 18, when the Roadrunners were ranked 19
th, has fallen out of the top 25, but still has 15 points in the polling. The Colorado School of Mines is also representing the RMAC in the others receiving votes category with 23 points.
Two other teams the Mavs have played this season are also receiving votes. Those are Biola (27) and Dallas Baptist (13). Both of those teams defeated the Mavs on the opening weekend of the season.
About the Coaching staff
Austin Albers is in his second season in charge of the Mavericks. He is just the fifth coach in program history and the third in the last 42 years.
In his first season with CMU (2025), Albers led the Mavericks to a 17-11 campaign and a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
He is no stranger to the RMAC after having spent the six previous seasons (2019-24) at CSU Pueblo, where he led the ThunderWolves to a 93-61 (.604) record and RMAC Tournament appearances in all six campaigns. The Pack also went to the NCAA Tournament in both 2021 and 2022.
Prior to that, he was the head coach at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he went 145-57 while leaving as the program's all-time win percentage leader (.718). He was inducted into the LCCC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025 and received the AVCA 30 under 30 award along with NJCAA Region IX and NJCAA District C Coach of the year honors.
Including this year's 13-3 start, Albers now has a 123-75 (.621) record at the 4-year level and surpassed the 100-win milestone in 2025. He also eclipsed the 250 overall collegiate win milestone last year and now has a 268-132 (.670) overall collegiate coaching record.
Last Saturday's match against Fort Lewis was Albers' 400
th as a collegiate head coach.
Saturday's match at CSU Pueblo, his former team, will be his 200
th at the 4-year and NCAA Division II level.
His two assistants
Bri Strong and
Annemarie Chin also return in 2026. Strong is entering her seventh season with the Mavs and her fourth as the program's top assistant.
Chin is in her second season with the Mavs and third with Albers after assisting him at CSU Pueblo. She was then named as the Pack's interim head coach after CMU hired Albers in February, 2025, before re-uniting with Albers for last fall's campaign.
About the Opponents
Colorado Christian - Friday - 6 p.m. (Lakewood, Colo. - CCU Event Center)
The Colorado Christian Cougars are 7-7 overall and sit just a match out of the RMAC lead with a 4-2 conference record. They have gone just 1-3 in their last four matches after going 3-1 in their previous four.
Last week, they won a 4-set match over CSU Pueblo at home in Lakewood on Tuesday before getting swept by the Colorado School of Mines in nearby Golden on Friday. They have not left the Metro Denver area since Sept. 11 and have played their last seven matches there and will open a true 4-match homestand against the Mavs. They are currently 2-2 at home.
Sienna Thatcher, who played at CMU last season, leads the Cougars with 160 kills (2.96/set) on a team-high 450 swings. She is hitting .227 and is second on the squad with 12 service aces. She ranks ninth in the RMAC for kills per set.
Suzanna Conner (136), Krista Traynor (103) and Connelly Kilgore (102) all have over 100 kills as well. Traynor, a setter and right side hitter, also leads the team with 369 assists (6.59/set) and 22 aces (0.39/set). She is fourth in the conference for assists per set and fifth for aces.
Allie Allen leads the team with 174 digs (3.41/set) while Traynor (156) and Thatcher (110) are second and third in that category.
Traynor, Conner and Jenna Bell are all tied for the team lead with 28 blocks.
CSU Pueblo - Saturday - 6 p.m. (Pueblo, Colo. - Massari Arena)
The ThunderWolves are currently 8-9 overall and 3-3 in the RMAC heading into a Friday night home match against Westminster.
They dropped two matches last week in conference play after winning their previous three and five of their previous six.
Last year's Pack squad made the NCAA Tournament after finishing third in the RMAC standings.
Senior right side Lilly Zwart, a key part of last year's squad, paces the 2026 edition of the Pack with 195 kills (2.87/set) and 221 ½ total points (3.26/set). Brianna Pino, who has 140 kills, and Finja Schul, who has 139, have also been key contributors in the attacking game.
Kendal Schmitz and Madison Gardiner have nearly identical assist totals while splitting time at the setter position following the injury of 2025 Honorable Mention All-American Elena Stankovic, who recorded 100 assists in five matches before being forced out of the lineup. Schmitz has 235 while Gardner has 232. Gardner also leads the team with 15 service aces.
Defensively, Chinaru Pao has 269 digs (3.96/set) while Schul and Andi Northdurft make up a stellar blocking duo. Schul has 82 blocks and ranks third in the RMAC for blocks per set at 1.21. Northdurft has 76 blocks and is fourth in the conference statistics with her 1.21 per set average.
The Pack ranks second in the RMAC for blocking as a team, averaging 2.57 per set.
Westminster - Tuesday - 6 p.m. (Salt Lake City, Utah - Behnken Field House)
The Griffins, who will also play at CSU Pueblo and Colorado Christian this weekend before returning home to host the Mavericks are currently 3-11 overall and 2-4 in RMAC play. They snapped a 6-match losing streak last Saturday with a 5-set home win over Western Colorado and are now 2-1 in their limited home schedule to date.
Elsa Gilmore leads the Griffins with 128 kills (2.21/set) while Claire Cook returned from nearly a month out to help in last Saturday's win. She has 103 in total and is averaging 2.94 per set.
Finnish setter Tiia Heikkinen has doled out 282 assists (5.22/set) while Nora Elliot has registered 176 (3.26/set).
Ava Livolsi leads the defense with 270 digs (4.58/set) and also has a team-high 23 aces (0.39/set). Apiline White also has 19 while Heikkinen and Elliot have 18 each to help the Griffins rank second as a team in the RMAC behind the Mavs.
Kyra Mahler leads the Griffins in blocking with 38, including 14 solos, in 50 sets played.
The Griffins rank last in the RMAC for kills per set (10.66)
Exploring the Rivalries
The Mavs lead the series with Colorado Christian 29-16 during the NCAA Division II era. The Mavs are 9-8 against the Cougars in Lakewood. The last two matches played there have gone to five sets in 2021 and 2023. CCU won the 2023 match, taking a 20-18 decision in the fifth set. CMU won the 2021 match and has won 12 of the last 14 matches since 2018.
The Mavs hold a 40-15 lead in the CSU Pueblo series during the Division II era. The Mavs are 14-9 against the ThunderWolves in Pueblo during that time. The Mavs have won the last six matches between the teams, including 2021 and 2023 wins in Pueblo. CSU Pueblo's last win was at home in five sets during the 2019 campaign. The Mavs have won 13 of the last 14.
The Mavericks have dominated the = series with Westminster, winning 24 of the 26 all-time match-ups, including a RMAC Regional Pod win over the Griffins on Sept. 26 of this season in Grand Junction. The Mavs are 10-1 against the Griffins in Salt Lake City. The Griffins only win there was in 2015. They then won a RMAC match in Grand Junction last year.
Up Next
The Mavericks will return home for a single home match next Saturday (Oct. 17) when they take on the Colorado School of Mines in the Alumni Weekend match. First serve in Brownson Arena is slated for 5 p.m.
