Griffins Embark on Season's Final Road Trip
The Westminster women's volleyball will head to the road for the final time this season as they are set to play three matches in four days. The Griffins will play at New Mexico Highlands on Friday before visiting Colorado State – Pueblo on Saturday. After a day off, the team plays at Fort Lewis on Monday. All three matches will begin at 7 p.m.
 
The three matches will each be broadcast live on the RMAC Network with the content being produced by the host institution. There will also be live stats available during each contest. Links for all live features can be found at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
About the Griffins
The Griffins take to the road at 4-19 overall this season. They have gone 2-12 in RMAC action and are currently 13th in the conference standings. The team is 1-6 in road matches on the season and 1-9 in all matches played away from the Behnken Field House.
 
Westminster starts the week averaging 10.89 kills per set and hitting .135 as a team. They rank 12th in the RMAC in kills and 13th in hitting efficiency. The Griffins are 11th in the conference by getting 1.05 service aces per set.
 
Amara Spere leads the Griffins with 252 kills and she ranks 10th in the RMAC by posting 3.36 kills per set. Savannah Ipsen has totaled 158 kills and Desiree Wickwar has added 11 kills. Reilly Cronyn is hitting a team-best .273 with Spere coming in at .182. Amber Lamborn and Taylor Gustafson are tied for the team lead with 16 service aces.
 
Griffin opponents are hitting .224 on the season, which has the team 13th in the RMAC in opponent hitting percentage. Westminster is sixth in the conference by getting 15.97 digs per set and they rank 10th at 1.75 blocks per set.
 
Hannah Stearman has recorded a team-best 239 digs while Ipsen has gone for 192. Katie Allen leads the Griffins with 64 blocks and she ranks eighth in the RMAC at 0.96 blocks per set. Gustafson has recorded 568 assists and ranks 10th in the RMAC at 7.28 assists per set. Emilie Austin has added 164 assists.
 
Point of Attack
• Amara Spere leads the Griffins with 252 kills and her 3.36 kills per set are 10th in the RMAC. In conference play, Spere is fifth in the conference by averaging 3.61 kills per set. She has been in double figures in kills in 10 of the previous 12 matches she has played. Spere has had at least 15 kills in a match six 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 fifth in team history with 776 kills. With 24 more kills, Spere would become the fourth player in school history to record 800 career kills. She is fifth all-time by hitting .197 for her career and ranks seventh with 188 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 158 kills for an average of 2.11 per set. Ipsen has been in double figures during three of the previous four matches and five times this season. She has seven matches with double-digit digs and has tallied four double-doubles.
 
Seizing the Moment
• Hannah Stearman has taken over the team lead with 239 digs this season and she is averaging 3.19 digs per set. She has recorded double-digit digs in nine straight matches and 10 of the last 11 outings. In 11 matches since taking over as the starting libero, Stearman is averaging 4.41 digs per set and has three matches with at least 20 digs.
 
Set the Offense
• Taylor Gustafson has been the Griffins primary setter this season and she currently leads the team with 568 assists. Gustafson averages 7.28 assists per set to rank 10th in the RMAC. Gustafson also averages 2.12 digs per set and is tied for the team lead with 16 aces. She has a team-high seven double-doubles on the year.
 
Match Facts: New Mexico Highlands
• Westminster leads the all-time series 1-0.
• The Griffins defeated the Cowgirls in four sets last season on the road.
• NHMU enters the match at 5-15 overall and 2-13 in conference play.
 
Match Facts: Colorado State – Pueblo
• CSU-Pueblo leads the all-time series 1-0.
• The ThunderWolves claimed a 3-1 win last season in Salt Lake City.
• CSUP starts the week at 10-14 overall and ninth in the RMAC at 8-7.
 
Match Facts: Fort Lewis
• Westminster has split two meetings all-time with Fort Lewis.
• The Griffins beat the Skyhawks 3-1 on October 22 in SLC.
• FLC enters the week at 5-17 overall and 4-10 in conference matches.
 
Looking Ahead
• Westminster will close the 2016 season with a home match against Colorado State – Pueblo on November 12. The action will begin at 4 p.m. in the Behnken Field House and tickets are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.