Volleyball Home for Two RMAC Matches
The Westminster women's volleyball spends a second straight weekend at home as they host a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matches. The Griffins welcome Colorado Mesa to the Behnken Field House on Friday at 6 p.m. On Saturday, Western State Colorado is in town for a 4 p.m. contest.
 
Tickets for all Westminster home matches are now available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
 
Both matches will be broadcast live on the RMAC Network with David Winkworth calling the action. Live stats will also be available for both matches. Links for all live features can be found at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
About the Griffins
The Griffins returns to action at 4-17 overall this season and 2-10 in RMAC play. They have gone 3-8 at home this season and won two of their past three matches overall. The Griffins are currently tied for 13th in the RMAC standings with six matches to play.
 
Westminster starts the week averaging 10.93 kills per set and hitting .135 as a team. Over the past six matches, the Griffins are averaging 12.0 kills per set with a .168 hitting percentage. They are also averaging 1.04 service aces per set on the season.
 
Amara Spere leads the Griffins with 226 kills and she ranks 10th in the RMAC by posting 3.37 kills per set. Savannah Ipsen has totaled 146 kills and Desiree Wickwar has added 109 kills. Reilly Cronyn is hitting a team-best .278 with Spere coming in at .184. Amber Lamborn leads the Griffins with 15 aces while Taylor Gustafson adding 14.
 
Griffin opponents are hitting .231 on the season, which has the team 14th in the RMAC in opponent hitting percentage. Westminster is sixth in the conference by getting 15.92 digs per set and they rank 11th at 1.70 blocks per set.
 
Hannah Stearman leads the team with 204 digs while Megan Gallegos leads the way at 3.82 digs per set. Ipsen has added 168 digs with Emilie Austin recording 154 digs. Katie Allen leads the team with 50 blocks.
 
Gustafson has recorded 512 assists and ranks 10th in the RMAC at 7.31 assists per set. Austin has added 149 assists.
 
Point of Attack
• Amara Spere leads the Griffins with 226 kills and her 3.37 kills per set are 10th in the RMAC. In conference play, Spere is fifth in the conference by averaging 3.69 kills per set. She has been in double figures in kills in eight straight matches played. Spere has had at least 15 kills in a match five times, including a season-high 22 against UCCS on October 7.
 
Up the Charts
• Spere continues to make her way up the career leaderboards at Westminster and starts the week sixth in team history with 750 kills. With 50 more kills, Spere would become the fourth player in school history to record 800 career kills. She is fifth all-time by hitting .199 for her career and ranks seventh with 183 total blocks. Spere can also be found in the Westminster top-10 in attack attempts, solo blocks, and block assists.
 
Dual Threat
• Savannah Ipsen has become the team's second option at outside hitter and has totaled 146 kills for an average of 2.18 per set. Ipsen had 34 kills in last week's two matches – including a career high 19 against Adams State on October 21 – and she has been in double figures four times this season. She ranks second on the team with 168 digs while recording three double-doubles.
 
Seizing the Moment
• Hannah Stearman has taken over the team lead with 204 digs this season and she is averaging 3.04 digs per set. She has recorded double-digit digs in seven straight matches and eight of the last nine outings. In nine matches since taking over as the starting libero, Stearman is averaging 4.42 digs per set and she had a career-high 22 against Adams State on October 21.
 
Set the Offense
• Taylor Gustafson has been the Griffins primary setter this season and she currently leads the team with 512 assists. Gustafson averages 7.31 assists per set to rank 10th in the RMAC. Gustafson also averages 2.07 digs per set and is second on the team with14 aces. She has a team-high six double-doubles on the year.
 
Match Facts: Colorado Mesa
• Colorado Mesa leads the all-time series 5-2.
• The Mavericks swept the Griffins on September 17 in Grand Junction.
• CMU comes to town at 17-4 overall and 11-2 in conference matches.
• They are second in the RMAC standings sit two games out of the lead.
• Mackenzie Edwards is third in the RMAC at 3.86 kills per set.
 
Match Facts: Western State Colorado
• Western State is 2-0 all-time in the series.
• The Mountaineers swept the Griffins on September 16 in Gunnison.
• Western State will enter the match at 11-10 overall and 7-6 in RMAC play.
• They sit seventh in the RMAC standings, just inside the RMAC Tournament line.
• Tori Gaherty averages 3.46 kills per set to sit ninth in the conference
 
Looking Ahead
• Westminster will play the next three matches on the road. They are at New Mexico highlands on November 4 and then Colorado State – Pueblo on November 5. The Griffins will then play at Fort Lewis on November 7. All three matches will be broadcast live on the RMAC Network.