CHADRON – Chadron State College's volleyball team will travel to Colorado to take on Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference leaders No. 22-ranked Metro State University Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 13 Colorado School of Mines Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
Chadron State, 3-13 overall with a 2-6 conference mark, lost in straight sets to Regis University and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs last weekend in Chadron.
 
The Eagles have distributed the ball well from the hands of Shelby Gardner, who leads the team with 190 assists. Lelalelei Nomura, who has 147 kills, and Erika Roybal, who has 143, are the Eagles' leading hitters.
 
Chadron State College has 50 more total attacks than its opponents this year, mainly from the team's strong defensive presence. Senior Alyssa Bauer, who sits 11th in the conference in digs, has a team-high 210 digs. Alia Brennan has 40 blocks in the middle and Nomura has 28.
 
Colorado School of Mines, 14-2 overall, has only lost to ranked teams Augustana and Colorado Mesa University. The Orediggers were second in the conference before defeating Metro State in three sets last weekend. All-American setter Danielle Johnson-Hazlewood, the RMAC Preseason Setter of the Year, leads the conference with 12.42 assists per set.
 
Defensively, Colorado Mines is led by RMAC Defensive Players of the Week Taryn Huber and Corrine Din. As a team, Mines leads the conference with an opponent hitting percentage of just .141.
 
Metro State University was the conference leader before falling to Colorado Mines. The Roadrunners are 13-3 overall with a 7-1 conference mark, including a five-set win over No. 20 Colorado Mesa. Their other losses on the season are to No. 2 Minnesota Duluth and No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State. Lauren Quijano, a two-time RMAC Offensive Player of the Week, leads the conference in hitting percentage at .380 and kills with 4.05 per set.