(MATCH NOTES - PDF)

OPENING SERVE: Dixie State (12-5/7-2 RMAC) heads back out on the road this weekend for two important RMAC matches as teams begin jockeying for position for the upcoming RMAC tourney in November. DSU begins the trip with a showdown at RMAC leader MSU Denver (12-4/7-1 RMAC) on Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by DSU's first-ever trip to Nebraska to play at Chadron State (11-5/5-3 RMAC) on Saturday night at 6 p.m.
    Live stats and streaming video links for both matches can be found HERE.

DIXIE STATE VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS: Dixie State enters Friday's match looking for its first win vs. MSUD as the Roadrunners have claimed each of the previous two matches between the two sides in sweeps, including a 3-0 result last season in St. George (10/6/18).
    Saturday's match at Chadron State will be just the second-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Eagles on the court. The two teams played for the first time last season inside the DSU SAC, where the Blazers posted a straight-set victory (10/5/18) in their home gym.

COACHING STAFF: 2018 RMAC Co-Head Coach of the Year Robyn Felder (Eastern Washington, 2002; 129-81 overall record) is in her eighth season at the helm of the Dixie State women's volleyball program. Last season, Felder led the Trailblazers to a NCAA era school-record tying 22 wins (22-6) and to a share of the RMAC regular season title (16-2) 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 third-year assistant coaches David Richards (BYU, 1983) and former DSU standout Makenzi Murphey (Dixie State, 2018). In addition, Whitnee Tupe (fifth season, Dixie State, 2007) returns to Felder's staff after a three-year stint as an assistant at Snow College, and Camilla Hafoka (Oregon State, 2010) is in her first season on the Trailblazers' staff.

TRAILBLAZERS PICKED THIRD IN THE RMAC IN 2019: Dixie State was voted to finish third by the RMAC coaches in the annual preseason poll released by the league on August 14.
    Fellow RMAC co-champion Colorado School of Mines topped the 16-team poll as the Orediggers received nine first place votes and 214 total points, while Colorado Mesa picked up four first place nods and 209 points to claim the second spot. The Trailblazers collected the final three first place votes and 204 points to finish third in the voting, followed by Regis (184 pts) in fourth and 2018 RMAC tourney champion MSU Denver (173 pts) in fifth.

LAST SEASON IN THE RMAC: After joining the RMAC in 2018, the 2019 season will mark the second and final season the Trailblazers will be a competing member of the conference. In 2020, Dixie State will begin its transition to NCAA Division I status and will become a new member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

WEEK IN REVIEW: Dixie State extended its current winning streak to four-straight with two hard-fought home victories last weekend inside the DSU SAC. The Blazers began the weekend with a 3-1 triumph over UCCS on Friday night, before coming back on Saturday to post a dramatic five-set win over RMAC preseason pick Colorado School of Mines.

TREANOR'S TRIPLE-DOUBLE EARNS HER RMAC OPOW HONORS: Junior RS/S Megan Treanor was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts in the Trailblazers' home sweep last weekend.
    Treanor averaged a triple-double to help lead the Trailblazers to the home sweep, which began with a match-high 13 kills, 17 assists, nine digs, five total blocks and two service aces in the four-set win vs. UCCS last Friday night.  
    The junior then recorded her second career triple-double with a co-team high 17 kills, 17 assists and a career-best 13 digs in the five-set victory over Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. In addition, she tallied a career-high tying three aces and had one block assist vs. the Orediggers.
    Treanor also recorded DSU's first triple-double in the program's NCAA era earlier this year in a four-set win vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State (14K/18A/11D) back on Sept. 13. In addition, Treanor has recorded 19 double-doubles in 40 career matches at DSU.

I'LL TAKE GAMMELL FOR THE BLOCK: Senior RS/MB Lauren Gammell continues to be a dominant stalwart defensively for the Trailblazers as she has averaged close to 6.0 total blocks over her last five matches, highlighted by her DSU NCAA-era single match record tying 11 total blocks (3 solo) in DSU's four-set win at Fort Lewis (10/5).
    Her 11 total blocks also marked the fourth time in her storied career that the senior registered 11 total blocks in a match overall. Gammell also tallied a team-high six block assists in DSU's five-set win over Mines on Saturday.
     While she's been on fire defensively, Gammell has also been a force on the offensive side, averaging 7.3 kills over a seven-match span, including a season-high 15 kills at Western Colorado (9/27), and 12 kills in the Mines win last Saturday.
    Gammell currently leads the RMAC and is ranked 14th-nationally in NCAA Division II in blocks per set (1.27 bps), and she is third in the conference (t-16th in NCAA D-II) in total blocks (79). Gammell, who is DSU's career leader in total blocks (367) and block assists (334), became the first player in program history to reach the 300-career block plateau, doing so in the UT-Permian Basin win (9/12), and needs 33 more blocks for 400 for her storied career.

TEAM NOTES: Senior MB/OH To'a Faleao has been solid since the start of RMAC play as she has averaged 12.0 kills (.213 H%) with 9.7 digs, 1.6 aces and 2.3 blocks through nine league matches ... the senior has tallied at least eight kills in all nine conference matches, highlighted by career-high 18 kills in the home win over SD Mines (9/21), and a co-team high 17 kills in the Mines win last Saturday ... Faleao is averaging a team-high 3.25 kps this season, which ranks her seventh currently on DSU's single-season list.
    Junior setter Jordyn Nelson (1,552) became the fourth player in program history to reach the 1,500 assist plateau ... Nelson tallied a career-high 50 assists in the WCU win (9/27), and was credited with a career-best five kills in the FLC (10/5) ... the junior has posted double-doubles (assists/digs) in three-straight starts and in four of her last five outings overall, and she vaulted into seventh place on DSU's career digs list (554) in the Mines win on Saturday.
    Freshman libero Mykenna Nelson has led the Trailblazer defense in digs in 16 of 17 matches this season, including a career-high 27 digs vs. UCCS last Friday ... she also posted career highs of eight assists and three aces in the Westminster win (10/8) and is averaging 4.87 dps (#7 on DSU's season list) overall ... sophomore Miranda Ekblad has put up some career numbers of her own over her last five outings as she threw down a then-career eight kills vs. Westminster, posted career highs in aces (4) and digs (6) in the Fort Lewis win, and collected a career-high five assists at Adams State ... then in the UCCS win last Friday, the sophomore hit a career-best .818 with career-highs of nine kills (0 E/11 A) and five block assists.
    Junior OH Sai Collins has averaged 4.1 blocks (29 total blocks, 5 solo) over her last seven matches, highlighted by a career-high eight total blocks (3 solo) with 14 kills in the win at WCU (9/27), and a six-block, nine-kill effort at Fort Lewis (10/5) ...  junior OH Sydney Johnson led DSU with career-highs of 18 kills and four total blocks at Adams State (10/4) ... freshman OH Chayse Daugherty came off the bench and threw down a match and career-high 14 kills in the Fort Lewis win (10/5), while fellow freshman Siara Roberts tallied a career-best seven assists vs. Westminster (10/8).   
    As a team DSU is hitting .216, while Trailblazer opponents are hitting at a .150 clip (#2 in the RMAC) through 17 matches this season ... DSU is averaging 12.95 kills, 16.31 digs and 2.52 blocks per set (#1 in RMAC, T-5th nationally) ... Dixie State hit a combined .321 vs. BHSU/SDM, highlighted by a season-high .347 vs. SD Mines (9/21) ... meanwhile, the DSU defense limited both opponents to a combined .045 H%, including a season-low -.050 clip in the BHSU sweep (9/20), which marked the second time this season DSU had held an opponent to a negative H% (-.010 vs. Pittsburg State, 9/13), this after not achieving that feat in nearly two seasons (-.023 vs. Holy Names; 10/13/17) ... DSU also limited Fort Lewis (10/5) to a .000 H% and Westminster (10/8) to a .099 H% to begin its current win streak.
    Dixie State collected a season-high 101 digs in the five-set win at Western Colorado (10/4), which marked just the 10th time in program history that the Blazers reached triple figures in digs in the program's NCAA era ... DSU's 101 digs were the most in a match since DSU tallied a school-record 130 digs in a five-set home win over Dominican nearly six years to the day (9/30/13) during the 2013 season.
    Speaking of digs, five Trailblazers tallied double figures in digs in the Mines win last Saturday, led by Mykenna Nelson with 20 and Treanor had 13 as part of her triple-double ... additionally, Faleao picked up 12 digs and Jordyn Nelson and sophomore Rebekah Farris (career-high) collected 11 digs apiece.
    Dixie State's win over Mines last Saturday gave the Trailblazers their 23rd RMAC victory in 27 leagues matches since joining the conference last season ... DSU has defeated 14 of the other 15 RMAC teams in league play over that span, the only one the Blazers have not solved since starting RMAC play in 2018 - Friday's opponent MSU Denver.

UP NEXT: Dixie State returns home for its final homestand of the 2019 regular season next weekend, which begins with a pair of Homecoming Week matches against Western Colorado on Friday, Oct. 25, and Colorado Mesa on Saturday, Oct. 26. Both matches are slated to start at 6 p.m., inside the DSU SAC.