GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After making their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago, the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks will open up the 2026 volleyball season playing four matches in the Dallas Classic, hosted by Dallas Baptist University, starting Thursday in the Patriots' Burg Center.
The Mavericks, who are starting season No. 2 with
Austin Albers at the helm of the program, will begin the season and the weekend, playing against seventh-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday afternoon. The Mavs will then take on the tournament hosts and Mississippi College on Friday before wrapping up the weekend against Biola on Saturday.
Links to live statistics and subscription-based FloCollege live streams can be found on the
Mavs' schedule page.
A look back
The Mavericks had a solid 17-11 season in 2025, the first with
Austin Albers at the helm of the program. They went 10-4 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play and finished in a tie for fourth place in the RMAC standings with the Colorado School of Mines, which pulled out an intense 5-set match over the Mavs in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals.
However, the Mavericks still earned what was a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and played eventual national champion MSU Denver in the opening round of the South Central Regional portion of the tournament.
The Mavs had five players earn All-RMAC honors in 2025, three of whom return to the re-loaded and large 2026 roster, which includes nine new faces, including six freshman and three transfers. Three other returning Mavericks will also look to bounce back from injuries that kept them out of part or all of last season.
In the Polls
The Mavericks were picked second and received a first place vote in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll,
released last week (Aug. 18). The Mavs picked up 169 points in the poll, trailing only UCCS' s total of 187.
Defending RMAC and national champion MSU Denver and Mines finished in a tie for third in the poll with 165 points.
CSU Pueblo, which was one of the five RMAC teams in the NCAA Tournament last year, was picked fifth in the poll with 155 points.
Additionally, the Mavericks are also amongst the teams in the other receiving votes category of the
AVCA's national preseason poll. MSU Denver, which has a new head coach this year, is picked third in that poll after winning the national title as the RMAC's only representative in the top 25. However, UCCS, CMU and Mines are all picking up votes.
Preseason All-RMAC
The Mavericks had three selections to the Preseason All-RMAC teams, which were announced in conjunction the RMAC poll. CMU's picks were
Aesha Alrashed,
Henley Madsen and
Ashlyn Tafoya, who all picked up all-conference honors a year ago.
Alrashed, a fifth-year middle blocker, was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC honoree last season and recorded 108 blocks, the most of any Maverick since 2018. She was ranked fourth in the RMAC for total blocks and third with her 1.05 per set average. The Greeley, Colorado native also recorded 147 kills (1.47/set) and hit .257.
Madsen, a sophomore opposite hitter out of Park City, Utah, earned Second Team All-RMAC honors as a freshman and finished second on the 2025 edition of the Maverick squad with 208 kills and 235 total points despite missing the end of the season, including both of the Mavs' post-season matches due to injury.
Tafoya also earned Second Team All-RMAC plaudits as a freshman in 2025 and recorded 719 assists in her debut season, the most of any Maverick freshman in 15 years. She also had 240 digs (2.33/set) to rank third on the team and registered 11 double-doubles.
About the Coaching staff
Austin Albers is entering 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 his first season at CMU, Albers begins 2026 with a 110-72 (.604) 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 begins 2026 with a 255-129 (.664) overall collegiate coaching record.
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.
Roster Breakdown/Meet the Newcomers
With nine new players, the size of the Maverick roster has grown to 22, including 13 returning players.
The group includes two fifth-year players, three seniors, six juniors, five sophomores and six freshmen using a modified methodology under new NCAA Division II eligibility policies that permit players to play five seasons in as many years with some limited exceptions or the use of former policies, whichever is more beneficial to each student-athlete on a case-by-case basis.
The list of nine Mavericks newcomers includes three transfers in fifth-year senior outside hitter
Sydney Amiatu, junior outside
Ashlee Macias and sophomore opposite hitter
Bailee Tucker.
Amiatu, the brother of CMU Assistant Men's Lacrosse Coach Blake Amiatu, hails from Oceanside, California and spent the past four years playing beach volleyball at the University of Hawai'i. She was also standout indoor player at El Camino High School prior to that and will have one season of eligibility with the Mavs.
Macias joined the Maverick program at the semester break in January after spending two seasons over 1 ½ years at Division II UT Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. The El Paso, Texas native earned Second Team All-Lone Star Conference honors for the Falcons in 2025 and recorded 374 kills (3.43/set) while setting UTPB's single-match records for kills (35) and attack percentage (.737) in separate outings.
Tucker, who hails from South Weber, Utah, has spent the past two seasons at Alaska-Anchorage. She played in five early season matches for the Seawolves last year before an injury thwarted her progress. She received a medical hardship waiver for that season after using a traditional redshirt season in 2024 and will have four seasons of eligibility for CMU.
The six freshman hail from three states with Colorado chipping in three new Mavs. Three of the new freshman, including two of the Coloradoans, are liberos. That list includes
Trinity Burchett of Windsor and Fossil Ridge High School,
Aubriel Loken of Gunnison and
Maya Grant of Salt Lake City, Utah and Skyline High School.
Freshman Middle blocker
Ashley Bornhoft, the tallest Maverick at 6-foot-3, hails from Sterling and was a standout at Fleming High School, a small-school powerhouse program that won the state title last year.
There are also two new Arizonans in setter
Ashlyn Persha of the city of Surprise and Paradise Honors High School and outside hitter
Molly Whalen of Litchfield Park and Canyon View High School.
Exploring the Rivalries
The Mavericks will be seeing some new opponents on the other side of the net this weekend.
They last played Nebraska-Kearney in 2016, but do have an extensive older history against the Lopers, who were members of the RMAC through 2011. The Lopers lead the rivalry 29-7 during CMU's NCAA Division II era (1992-Present). CMU's last win over the Lopers was in 2010. UNK has won the last three match-ups, played while all current Maverick were in elementary school or younger.
The Mavs did not play against DBU last year but had met them four times between 2022-24, including NCAA Tournament match-ups in each of those three seasons. DBU won two of those three NCAA match-ups although the Mavs hold a 9-2 advantage in the overall series. Friday's meeting will be the first between the teams in Dallas.
The Mavs have never faced Mississippi Christian, formerly known as Mississippi College, which is in the city of Clinton, nor Biola, which hails from LaMirada, California.
About the Opponents
Nebraska-Kearney (Thursday – 4 p.m. Central/3 p.m. Mountain)
The Lopers, a traditional NCAA Division II power, are coming off a 30-4 season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament. They have been tabbed seventh in the AVCA-Taraflex Division II Preseason Poll and shared top billing with Washburn in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association preseason coaches' poll after winning the conference tournament title and a share of the regular season championship.
The Lopers, who have made 26 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, had three all-America selections last year, one of whom in outside hitter Carly Purdy returns this year.
Purdy recorded 392 kills (3.53/set) on nearly 1,100 swings a year ago.
Libero Ellie Spang and right side Brynn Stowell also return after picking up Second Team All-MIAA honors last season.
Dallas Baptist (Friday – 11:30 a.m. Central/10:30 a.m. Mountain)
The Patriots, who will host the weekend tournament, went 12-13 last season after recording three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2022-24.
They have been picked ninth out of 18 teams in the Lone Star Conference's preseason poll but received one first place vote.
They also join CMU on the list of teams in the "receiving votes" category in the AVCA national poll.
Outside hitter Karly Wells, who earned First Team AVCA All-America honors a year ago after returning 440 kills (4.68/set) returns for her senior season and is the Patriots' representative on the LSC Offensive Players to Watch List. Middle blocker Aizlyn Dewberry and setter Zoe Gunn are their Defensive and Setter to Watch, respectively.
Mississippi Christian (Friday – 4:30 p.m. Central/3:30 p.m. Mountain)
The Choctaws finished the 2025 campaign with an 11-20 record and went 8-12 in Gulf South Conference Play.
They have been picked seventh in this year's GSC Coaches Preseason Poll and are expected to be led by senior middle hitter Rhaia Davey, who has been named to the preseason all-conference team. She earned Second Team All-GSC honors last season after finishing second on the team with 235 kills (2.33/set) while hitting a team-best .308. She also led last year's Choctaw squad with 68 blocks (0.67/set).
Junior setter Mamie Fromdahll and freshman Harper Green and Ava Rothe have also been named to the GSC's Newcomers to Watch List. Fromdahl registered nearly 1,000 assists in her second season at the junior college level for Jones College.
Biola (Saturday- 12:30 p.m. Central/11:30 a.m. Mountain)
The Eagles finished last season with a 17-10 overall record and went 7-5 in PacWest Conference action. They have been tabbed fourth out of ten teams in the PacWest Coaches' Preseason Poll.
They return 14 players from last year, including Second Team All-PacWest setter Hannah Hanson and have added nine newcomers, including three transfers. Hanson has also been named to the PacWest's Preseason Watchlist after recording 542 assists (5.42/set), 219 kills (2.19/set) and 228 digs (2.29/set) last year. She also led the 2025 edition of the Eagles with 29 service aces.
Up Next
The Mavericks will continue non-conference and tournament play, hosting next week's Volley in the Valley inside Brownson Arena. The Mavs will play Sul Ross State, Fort Hays State, Fairmont State and Adams State in the 5-team round-robin tournament on Friday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept. 5.
Those four matches are the start of a 6-match homestand a stretch of 11 matches, that will see CMU play eight times at home.
