Against all odds, volleyball captured the No. 2 seed in the RMAC and became the conference regular-season co-champion.
Eight teams make up the RMAC tournament, and with the Mountain Lions projected to finish eighth in the conference in the preseason polls, it was expected that this team would have to claw their way through the season to even have a chance to make the tournament.
Along with a low projection, the team didn’t have any players in the RMAC all-preseason list, which set the stage for what should have been a forgettable season for UCCS.
The team went 24-2 to get to the tournament. Now, not only are the Mountain Lions participating, but they are hosting games at home.
The team is efficient on both sides, with the second-best offense in the conference and the second-best defense based on opponent hitting percentage.
The dominant season has been spearheaded by junior middle blocker Nicole Martin, who leads the RMAC in service aces, and sophomore outside hitter Payton Thompkins, who is third in the conference in kills.
This season has been a high point for this team and its fans, and it is safe to say that they want more. They aren’t planning to be a one-and-done in the conference tournament.
So, who stands in the way of the Mountain Lions from capping off their magical season with some hardware?
The first matchup in the tournament is against No. 7 seed Fort Lewis.
Fort Lewis has the tenth-best offense and the fifth-best defense in the conference.
These are not remarkable units, which is good news for UCCS. Adding to the optimism, Fort Lewis hosted UCCS twice in the regular season, and the Mountain Lions were able to walk away with a win both times.
This time, Fort Lewis has to travel to Colorado Springs to take on a team that has yet to lose a home game.
Nothing is ever guaranteed in sports, but there is reason to believe that UCCS can move on to the semi-finals.
In the next round, the possible opponents are No. 3 CSU Pueblo and No. 6 Westminster.
CSU Pueblo is the favorite in this matchup, and their stats portray a better offense and defense than Westminster.
UCCS took down Westminster 3-0 in their regular-season matchup, making it likely that UCCS could do it again if they faced off in the semi-finals.
The matchup against CSU Pueblo is where things get much more interesting. The Mountain Lions traveled to Pueblo on Sept. 29 and were handed their first loss of the season, barely falling short 3-2.
A month later on Oct. 24, UCCS would get revenge as they hosted and swept CSU Pueblo on their white out night.
With the regular series split 1-1, it’s a toss-up on who wins this matchup in a postseason setting.
For the glass-half-full fans, UCCS went 12-0 at home and would host the game if these two teams faced off.
Home court advantage might be the best weapon for UCCS. They had a combined set record of 36-5 at home, so a visiting CSU Pueblo would need to win three sets in one night against the team that only lost five total during the regular season.
The other side of the bracket features MSU Denver, Adams State, Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Mesa.
Out of these opponents, the largest threat to UCCS is No. 1 seed MSU Denver.
MSU Denver had the best offense and the third-best defense in the RMAC, and they are the only team from the conference to be nationally ranked.
In their regular-season matchup, they proved to be too much for UCCS, winning 3-0.
Since they are the No. 1 seed in the tournament, they would host the matchup if they faced UCCS, taking away the Mountain Lions’ potent home-court advantage.
On paper, it looks unlikely that UCCS wins this matchup, but if this team has taught us anything this season, it is that they live to defy the odds.
UCCS begins their RMAC tournament journey on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Follow along on the RMAC Network through their pay-per-view or subscription options.
Photo from Scribe Archives