Volleyball Ready for Conference Play
After opening with tournaments during the first two weekends of the season, the Westminster women's volleyball team will begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this weekend with a pair of matches in Colorado. The Griffins (2-6) will play at Western State Colorado on Friday and then Colorado Mesa on Saturday. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m.
 
The RMAC Network will carry both of the matches live with the host institution producing the content. There will also be live stats available during the two contests. Links for all live features during the road trip are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
About the Griffins
The Griffins enters the opening weekend of conference play with a 2-6 overall record. They are 0-1 in road matches this season and have dropped two straight overall. The team is 1-1 in 4-set matches and 0-1 in 5-set matches this season.
 
Westminster is hitting .152 as a team while averaging 10.8 kills per set. They rank fifth in the RMAC at 1.43 service aces per set. Griffin opponents average 13.5 kills per set and are hitting .217. Westminster is sixth in the conference with 1.82 blocks per set and eighth at 15.07 digs per set.
 
Amara Spere leads the Griffins with 77 kills – 2.75 kills per set – and she has a team-best 10 service aces and 20 total blocks. Katie Allen is hitting .280 to lead the team and rank eighth in the RMAC. Megan Gallegos is averaging 3.93 digs per set and Taylor Gustafson averages a team-leading 5.63 assists per set.
 
Looking Back
Westminster finished third at their own Fairfield Inn & Suites Invitational last weekend. They picked up wins against Minot State and Texas A&M International on Friday and then dropped matches with Fort Hays State and Western New Mexico on Saturday. Amara Spere was named to the all-tournament team and averaged 2.93 kills per set during the weekend.
 
RMAC Action
• Westminster will begin RMAC play this weekend after finishing 4-14 last season. They tied for 12th in the final standings in 2015 and won their conference opener. The Griffins were picked to finish 12th in the league this season according to the preseason poll of coaches.
 
Offense Coming
• After averaging 9.38 kills per set during the four matches of opening weekend, the Griffins went for 12.07 kills per set last weekend. They begin the week 11th in the conference in kills per set – 10.82 – and they are hitting .152.
 
Point of Attack
• Amara Spere leads the team in kills, aces, and blocks entering play this weekend. The junior has been in double figures in kills during four matches and has led the team in kills six times this season. Spere tied a tournament record with six aces against Texas A&M international on Friday and she is ninth in the RMAC at 0.36 aces per set.
 
Up the Charts
• Spere continues to make her way up the career leaderboards at Westminster and starts the week ninth in team history with 601 kills. She is fourth all-time by hitting .206 for her career and ranks seventh with 166 total blocks. Spere can also be found in the Westminster top-10 in attack attempts, solo blocks, and block assists.
 
Offensive Weapon
• Desiree Wickwar has been a threat for the Griffins this season and currently ranks second on the team with 60 kills. The junior is averaging 2.31 kills per set and hitting .255 in 26 sets played. She has also recorded 18 blocks to rank third on the team. Wickwar has recorded double-digit kills twice this season, including a career-high 14 against Fort Hays State.
 
Last Line of Defense
• Megan Gallegos continue to provide the team with excellence at the libero position as the junior is averaging 3.93 digs per set this season. Gallegos has been in double figures in digs seven times and she had a season-high 21 against Fort Hays State. She begins the week with 875 career digs to rank sixth in team history.
 
Set the Offense
• With Westminster primarily running a 6-2 offense, Taylor Gustafson leads the team with an average of 5.63 assists per set. Gustafson has led the team in assists during six matches this season and currently ranks fourth in school history with 1,555 career assists. She has also averages 1.59 digs per set this season and has recorded two double-doubles.
 
Dual Threat
• Emilie Austin is the other half of the setter attack for the Griffins and the freshman is averaging 4.15 assists per set on the year. Austin has twice led the team in assists and she also ranks third on the team by getting 2.07 digs per set. She has a pair of double-doubles on the season to tie for the team lead.
 
Match Facts: Western State
• Western State leads the all-time series with the Griffins 1-0.
• The teams met in Salt Lake City last season. That was a 3-2 win by the Mountaineers in October.
• Western State begins the week at 4-4 overall this season and they have dropped four of their past five matches.
• They average 12.0 kills per set and are hitting .185 as a team.
• Tori Gaherty is eight in the RMAC by averaging 3.38 kills per set.
 
Match Facts: Colorado Mesa
• Colorado Mesa holds a 4-2 edge in the all-time series.
• The team split a pair of matches last season with each winning at home.
• The Mavericks will enter the week at 6-2 overall and on a six-match winning streak.
• They are second in the RMAC by hitting .238 as a team while holding opponents to .157.
• Taylor Woods is second in the conference by averaging 5.37 digs per set.
 
Looking Ahead
Next weekend will see the Griffins return home to begin a three-game homestand. Colorado Christian opens the stretch on September 23 and then Colorado Mines comes to town on September 24.