(MATCH NOTES - PDF)
COMPLETE DSU/DESERT GARDEN INN BY WYNDHAM CLASSIC INFORMATION

OPENING SERVE: Defending RMAC regular season champion Dixie State (0-0/0-0 RMAC) officially opens the 2019 campaign as hosts of Dixie State/Desert Garden Inn by Wyndham Classic this weekend inside the Burns Arena. The Classic marks the second time in program history that the Trailblazers will play on the Burns Arena floor.
    DSU will open the 11-match, round-robin tourney vs. St. Cloud State on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Trailblazers will play two more matches on Friday vs. Simon Fraser (11 a.m.) and Stanislaus State (7 p.m.), and will wrap up their tournament play vs. Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m.

DIXIE STATE VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS: Of the four teams Dixie State will play this weekend, DSU has faced three of them in previous seasons, while Thursday's season-opening match vs. St. Cloud State will mark the first time that the Blazers have played the Huskies on the volleyball court.
    DSU is 2-0 all-time vs. Simon Fraser, with both of those wins coming on neutral courts in 2010 (W, 3-1; 9/4/10 in Los Angeles, Calif.) and in 2011 (W, 3-1; 9/2/11 in Pomona, Calif.). Meanwhile, Friday night's match vs. Stanislaus State will be just the second meeting between the Blazers and Warriors, the first resulted in a 3-2 DSU neutral site win during the 2017 season (9/7/17 in Ellensburg, Wash.). Dixie State is 4-5 all-time vs. Northwest Nazarene, though the Trailblazers have won three of the last five matches in the series overall, including a thrilling five-set win on the Nighthawks' home court last season in Nampa, Idaho.

COACHING STAFF: 2018 RMAC Co-Head Coach of the Year Robyn Felder (Eastern Washington, 2002; 117-76 overall record) begins 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).

2019 RETURNEES: Dixie State returns four starters and nine letter winners from last season's 22-6 squad, led by 2018 All-Americans Lauren Gammell (MB/RS, 6-2, Sr.; Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS) and Megan Treanor (RS/S, 6-1, R-Jr.; Salem, Utah/Salem Hills HS/Salt Lake CC). The Blazers also welcome back second team all-RMAC selection To'a Faleao (MB/OH, 6-1, Sr.; Lehi, Utah/Lehi HS/Salt Lake CC) and league honorable mention pick Jordyn Nelson (Setter, 5-6, Jr.; Phoenix, Ariz./Greenway HS).
    Gammell, who was the 2018 NCAA Division II national statistical champion in blocks per set (1.56 bps), collected Third Team D2CCA and Honorable Mention AVCA All-America honors, along with RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, first team all-RMAC and D2CCA South Central Region, and AVCA Region honorable mention awards last season. The senior-to-be shattered both DSU single-season block assist (148) and total blocks records (162), and closed her junior year as DSU's career leader in block assists (263) and total blocks (288). Gammell also 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 .220 on the year with 162 kills and had six or more kills on 13 occasions.
    Meanwhile, Treanor garnered Second Team AVCA All-America honors, along with first team all-RMAC and AVCA South Central Region and second team D2CCA Region recognition in 2018. She led DSU in kills (286) and double-doubles (12), and finished second on the team in assists (287), fifth in digs (128) and fourth in blocks (78). The junior-to-be posted double figures in kills in 16 of 26 outings, including nine RMAC matches. She tallied a career-high 19 kills in wins at then nationally-ranked Northwest Nazarene and Tarleton State, while six of her 12 double-doubles came in RMAC play.
    Faleao led the team in service aces (31) and finished second in kills (239), fifth in blocks (74) and sixth in digs (105). Faleao posted double figures in kills in 11 outings and tallied at least one total block in 23 of 27 matches played. Nelson collected 25 or more assists in 10 of her 28 starts with five double-doubles last season. She dished out a career-high 37 assists at UCCS (9/29), and finished with 39 kills on the year.
    In addition, DSU returns juniors Sydney Johnson (OH, 5-9; Spokane, Wash./Central Valley HS – 54 kills/6 blocks) and Savannah Ipsen (RS, 5-11; Boise, Idaho/Centennial HS/Westminster College – 2018 redshirt), along with six sophomores in Kaycee (Adams) Rogers (OH, 5-11; Syracuse, Utah/Syracuse HS – 2018 redshirt), Ashtyn (Lunt) Ochoa (MB, 6-1; Thatcher, Ariz./Thatcher HS – 2018 Redshirt), Abbey Smith (Libero, 5-9; Prescott, Ariz./Prescott HS – 160 digs), Hannah Waddell (Libero, 5-6; Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS – 51 digs), Hailee Oviatt-Devillier (RS, 6-2; San Marcos, Calif./Mission Hills HS – 16 kills/6 blocks), and Miranda (Marshall) Ekblad (MB, 6-1; Fairfield, Calif./Vanden HS – 4 kills/8 blocks).
    Dixie State also welcomes back sophomore libero Bekah Farris (5-9; Kuna, Idaho/Kuna HS), who saw time at libero in 2016 before serving an LDS Church mission, and redshirt freshman OH Sydney Berenyi (5-10; Las Vegas, Nev./Silverado HS). Additionally, DSU brought in five newcomers who will vie for playing time in 2019, including juniors Lizzy Clark (MB, 6-1; Sandy, Utah/Jordan HS/Laramie County CC) and Sai Collins (OH, 5-9; Salt Lake City, Utah/Timpview HS/Snow College), sophomore setter Siara Roberts (6-0; Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS/USU-Eastern), and freshmen Chayse Daugherty (OH, 5-9; Gilbert, Ariz.) and Mykenna Nelson (Libero, 5-8; Phoenix, Ariz./Greenway HS). 

2018 AT A GLANCE: Dixie State wrapped up its 2018 season with a school-record tying 22 victories (22-6) and claimed a share of the RMAC regular season championship (16-2) in the program's debut season in the league. The Trailblazers also advanced to the RMAC Tournament semifinals and made their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 seasons of four-year competition.
    Along with Gammell and Treanor becoming DSU's first two All-Americans in the program's NCAA era, Dixie State also broke three school records last season. Bolstered by Gammell's record-breaking performance, the Blazers set new season records for block assists (509) and total blocks (306.5), while the DSU offense broke the single-match hitting percentage standard with a .491 clip in a four-set win at New Mexico Highlands (10/20/18).

UP NEXT: Dixie State will open the road portion of its 2019 schedule next weekend as the Trailblazers head to the "Lone Star State" to play in the Lubbock Christian-hosted Chaps Invitational. DSU will kick off the round-robin tourney Thursday, Sept. 12, vs. Texas-Permian Basin, followed by a pair of matches on Friday, Sept. 13, vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State and Pittsburg State.
    The Trailblazers will wrap up play on Saturday, Sept. 14, against the host Lady Chaps. All matches will be played at the Rip Griffin Center on the LCU campus.