(MATCH NOTES - PDF)

OPENING SERVE: Dixie State (22-4/16-2 RMAC) travels to Golden, Colo., this weekend for the final two rounds of the 2018 RMAC Volleyball Tournament, hosted by top-seed Colorado School of Mines. The No. 2-seeded Trailblazers will face No. 3 seed Colorado Mesa (21-6) in the first semifinal Friday at 5 p.m., at CSM's Lockridge Arena.
    The DSU/CMU match will be the first of two RMAC semifinal matches on Friday, with the host Orediggers (23-4) playing No. 4 seed MSU Denver (20-8) at 7 p.m. The two semifinal winners will then advance to the RMAC Championship match scheduled for Saturday evening at 6 p.m., with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Tournament.
    Live stats and streaming video information for Dixie State's RMAC tourney run can be found HERE.

DIXIE STATE AGAINST TOURNEY FIELD: Dixie State went a combined 2-2 against the other three RMAC semifinalists, with both wins coming against CMU in a pair of 3-1 victories in St. George (9/15) and in the return match in Grand Junction (10/12).
    Meanwhile, both DSU losses suffered during conference play came against CSM and MSUD. The Trailblazers and Orediggers clashed just once during the regular season (9/28), with CSM prevailing in a five-set thriller between the two eventual RMAC regular season co-champions. Dixie State also dropped a 3-0 decision to MSUD at the DSU SAC back on Oct. 6.

COACHING STAFF: 2018 RMAC Co-Head Coach of the Year Robyn Felder (Eastern Washington, 2002; 117-74 overall record) is in her seventh season at the helm of the Dixie State women's volleyball program as it wraps up its first year of RMAC play. This season, Felder has led the Trailblazers to a NCAA era school-record tying 22 wins and to a share of the RMAC regular season title in the program's debut season in the league.
    A two-time Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year (2013/2015) honoree, Felder led the Trailblazers to their first-ever Pacific West Conference title and the program's third-straight NCAA West Regional appearance in 2015. The season before that, she led DSU to its most successful season in the program's Division II era as the Trailblazers played to a 22-9 overall record, which marked the first time Dixie State had reached the 20-win plateau in the program's NCAA-era. That season also saw her squad reach the 2014 NCAA West Regional final (Sweet 16).
    Felder is joined on the DSU sideline by second-year assistant coaches David Richards (BYU, 1983) and former DSU standout Makenzi Murphey (Dixie State, 2018).

LAST TIME OUT: The Trailblazers made their RMAC Tournament debut a successful one as Dixie State won its first-ever conference postseason match with a 3-1 result over No. 7 seed Colorado-Colorado Springs last Tuesday night inside the DSU SAC. DSU won the first two sets by 26-24 and 25-21 counts, then after UCCS broke through with a 25-19 win in set three to extend the match, the Blazers answered with a 25-18 triumph in set four to advance on to the next round.

JUST WIN BABY: Dixie State tied its NCAA-era program record for victories with its 22nd win of the season in Tuesday night's RMAC tourney triumph over UCCS. In 2014, Dixie State won 22 matches (22-9), which included 20 regular season wins and two NCAA West Regional victories to advance to the regional final (Sweet 16).
    In addition, the Blazers won a program-best 12 home matches this season (12-2) to clinch its sixth-straight winning home record (3-1 @ Burns Arena, 9-1 @ DSU SAC). DSU has won nine or more home matches in five of those six campaigns, and has finished .500 or better at home in 11 of its 13 seasons of NCAA play.  
    Meanwhile, DSU finished the road portion of its 2018 regular season with a 9-1 record, which tied for the best overall road mark in the program's NCAA era. Dixie State also won nine road matches in 2014 (9-3) and has posted a winning road record in seven of its 13 seasons of four-year competition overall.

HOW SWEEP IT IS: The Trailblazers posted their 11th sweep of the season in last Friday's 3-0 win over Westminster. The 11 sweeps this season are tied for the second-most in the program's NCAA era. In 2016, Dixie State won 13 of its 17 matches in straight sets, while DSU claimed 11 of its 22 match wins in 2014 via the 3-0 sweep.

VIVA LAS VEGAS .... NEW MEXICO: Dixie State shattered the program's NCAA era single match attack percentage record by hitting .491 with 61 kills and just nine attack errors in 106 attempts in its 3-1 victory at New Mexico Highlands on Oct. 20. The Blazers' performance bested the previous record of .440 set in a 3-0 sweep of Molloy College during the 2015 season (9/5/15).
    The Trailblazers were red hot in all three set wins as they hit .640 in the opening frame (25-10), followed by a .556 percentage in set two (25-9) and a .542 clip in the decisive fourth stanza (25-12). DSU's .640 percentage in the first set was also the second-highest single set percentage in program history (.667 in fifth set vs. Hawai'i Pacific; 10/2/07).  
    Junior Lauren Gammell led the hit parade as she posted a career-best .800 attack percentage with 12 kills and no errors, though she fell five attacks shorts (min. 20) to qualify for the school's single-match record. Meanwhile, sophomore Megan Treanor tallied a match-high 15 kills and hit .520 over the four sets, and junior To'a Faleao-Baich hit an even .500 and registered 13 kills.

TRAILBLAZERS COLLECT NINE RMAC POSTSEASON AWARDS: Along with Coach Felder's coach of the year award, the Trailblazers collected nine total RMAC postseason awards on Tuesday. Gammell highlighted the list as she was tabbed as the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned first team all-conference. Treanor joined Gammell on the league's first team, while Faleao-Baich, senior libero Sid Brandon and senior MB Malary Marshall were voted to the second team, and senior OH Hannah Doonan and sophomore setter Jordyn Nelson earned honorable mention honors.   
    Gammell entered the RMAC Tournament this week as the NCAA Division II leader in blocks per set (1.58) and is second-nationally in total blocks (153). The four-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honoree shattered both DSU single-season block assist (140) and total blocks records, and has collected five or more total blocks in 16 of 26 matches with four double-digit block outings overall, including five total blocks (two solo) in the quarterfinal win over UCCS on Tuesday. The junior tied DSU's single-season record for total blocks (11) vs. Colorado Mesa (9/15), at CMU (10/12) and vs. Regis (10/27). On the offensive end, Gammell hit .232 on the season and had six or more kills on 13 occasions, including eight kills vs. UCCS on Tuesday night, and posted her first career double-double with 10 kills and 11 blocks at CMU (10/12).
    Treanor currently leads the team in kills (263) and double-doubles (10), including a 14-kill, 12-assist night with nine digs and four blocks vs. UCCS on Tuesday. Treanor is also second in assists (260), fifth in digs (120) and fifth in blocks (73). The sophomore, who was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17, has posted double figures in kills in 14 of 24 outings, including nine RMAC matches. She tallied a career-high 19 kills in wins at then nationally-ranked Northwest Nazarene and vs. current #12 Tarleton State, while six of her 10 double-doubles have come in RMAC play, including a 14-kill, 28-assist performance in a five-set loss at Colorado School of Mines (9/28).
    Brandon has recorded double figures in digs in 24 of 26 matches and collected 20 or more digs on four occasions, including a season-high 24 digs in road wins at UCCS (9/29) and CSU-Pueblo (10/19). The senior is also second on the team in service aces (25), including three aces vs. UCCS on Tuesday, and enters this weekend t-fifth in career aces (72) and sixth in sets played (324), and needs only four more digs (1,396 digs - #3 all-time) for 1,400 for her career.  
    Faleao-Baich leads the team in service aces (28 - #5 in the RMAC) and is second in kills (229), fourth in blocks (72) and sixth in digs (101). Faleao-Baich has posted double figures in kills in 11 of 25 starts, including seven RMAC matches, highlighted by a career-high 16 kills in a home win over Regis (10/27), and she tallied 11 kills vs. UCCS on Tuesday night. The junior posted her lone double-double of the year with 11 kills and 10 digs at UCCS (9/29), while she has tallied at least one total block in 23 of 25 matches played and had five blocks on five occasions, including a career-best seven total blocks with 12 kills at Mines (9/28).  
    Marshall leads the team and is ranked seventh in the RMAC in hitting percentage (.325), and is DSU's career hitting percentage leader (.315). The senior (183 kills; t-3rd on team) has started in all 26 games and posted double figures in kills in seven of those starts. She has tallied a career-high 13 kills on four occasions, including three RMAC road matches (at Mines 9/28, at Westminster 10/2, at CSU-Pueblo 10/19).
    Marshall is currently fifth in the RMAC in total blocks (97) and blocks/set (1.01), and she is third in block assists (91). The senior has tallied at least one block in 25 of 26 matches with 10 five-plus block outings and enters the RMAC tourney in eighth-place on DSU's career block assists list (149), while she is tied for t-ninth-place in career solo blocks (15) and is ninth in career blocks (164).
    Doonan is second on the team in digs (257) and double-doubles (7), t-third in kills (183) and sixth in total blocks (32). She has posted double figures in kills in nine of 26 starts, including seven RMAC matches, while six of her seven double-doubles have come in RMAC play, highlighted by a career-high 18 kills with 15 digs in a come-from-behind win at CSU-Pueblo (10/19).     
    Nelson has collected 25 or more assists in 10 of her 26 starts, including 28 dimes in the UCCS win on Tuesday night. Nelson also has three double-doubles to her credit this season, two of which came in RMAC play in wins at Westminster (16A/12D, 10/02) and vs. Regis (11K/18D, 10/27). The sophomore also dished out a career-high 37 assists at UCCS (9/29), and has tallied 37 kills on the year, including a career-best four kills vs. CMU (9/15).

TEAM NOTES: Dixie State remained in the No. 4 spot in the latest NCAA South Central Regional rankings released on Wednesday and the Trailblazers received votes in this week's AVCA D-II Coaches Top-25 poll.
    Senior RS Shannon Sorensen tallied seven kills and three block assists on Senior Night vs. Westminster (11/2) ... Sorensen enters the tournament sixth in the team in kills (129) and third in blocks (81, seven solo), including a career-high seven blocks vs. Regis (10/27) ... redshirt junior setter Kara Moore posted her first-career double-double with 12 assists and a career-high 13 digs vs. Westminster (11/2).      
    As a team DSU is hitting .229 (3rd in the RMAC), while Trailblazer opponents are hitting at a .125 clip (2nd in the RMAC/T-17th in NCAA DII) ... DSU is averaging 12.92 kills and 15.60 digs per set.
    Entering the RMAC Tournament, Dixie State leads the nation at the NCAA D-II level in blocks per set at 2.97, and leads the RMAC and is fourth-nationally in total blocks (288.5) ... DSU's 288.5 total blocks and 479 block assists this season are both new school records, while the team's 49 solo blocks are third-most  ... DSU tallied a season-high 18.0 total team blocks in the Regis win, which tied for the second-most in a single match in the program's four-year era ... DSU opened its four-set match victory at CMU (10/12) with 10-straight points, the first three of which, and five of the first seven points overall, came on the defensive side on blocked Maverick attacks.

UP NEXT: The winner of the 2018 RMAC Tournament will earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA South Central Regionals, which will be held Nov. 15-17 (site TBA). The 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Tournament Selection Show will be broadcast live on NCAA.com this Sunday, November 11, at 8 p.m. (MT).