The women of the Colorado Mesa University volleyball team have set the bar high for this upcoming season and are determined to meet their expectations. Led by coach Dave Flemming, with assistants Maggie Chlebana and David Skaff, the Mavericks have been ranked fourth overall by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll and are expected to win the western division. Senior middle hitter Antoinette McCormick was also selected by the RMAC as a preseason all-conference player. Colorado Mesa will be a formidable opponent this year.

The lady Mavericks are coming off an impressive campaign in 2010 which included a 20-9 overall record, 13-5 conference record, and a 9-1 record at Brownson Arena.  Eight of those 10 home matches were won in a row with sweeps against New Mexico Highlands, Western State, and Colorado State-Pueblo. Unfortunately, their regular season could not carry over into the postseason, where they lost to Metro State in the second round of the RMAC tournament. Even though the season did not end the way the ladies would have wanted it, their spirits were not broken.

This year brings new challenges that the team is excited to tackle, including home matches against nationally ranked conference opponents Nebraska-Kearney and Metro State, as well as conference powerhouses Western New Mexico and Regis University. Along with their expectations of success in the RMAC, the Mavericks are looking at an even bigger prize.

According to redshirt freshman Kelley Johnson, the team plans on earning a berth to the NCAA tournament to have a shot at competing for a national title. Johnson believes that this team has the necessary pieces to accomplish their notable goals this season.

“We have a lot of talent on the team this year and have been working hard in practice everyday to make sure we are ready to take on any opponent,” Johnson said. “We’re excited to get back out on the court and compete.”

This team is going to attempt to complete one of the best seasons in recent memory. The season begins Sept. 2 at the Oredigger Classic in Golden, Colo. Be sure to support the Colorado Mesa volleyball team when they return from their road trip on Sept. 8 to compete in the Holiday Inn Crossroads Classic at Brownson Arena.