CHADRON, Neb. -- September 29, 2016 -- Chadron State College volleyball has an opportunity to get back in the win column on Friday night, as the Eagles prepare to host Westminster College of Salt Lake City, Utah.

CSC (2-11, 1-4 RMAC) started 1-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, but have dropped the last four matches to tough league foes. The Eagles drew three straight opponents (MSU Denver, Western State, and Colorado Mesa) who have a combined RMAC record of 10-2, and then had three days to prepare for senior All-America honorable mention recipient Katie Klein and Regis University, who swept CSC in Denver.

The Griffins (2-11, 0-4 RMAC) come into Friday's match with six straight 0-3 losses and seven straight overall defeats. Westminster also played a midweek match, hosting Dixie State on Wednesday before leaving for Chadron on Thursday. They have two overall wins, coming back-to-back on September 9, when they beat Minot State 3-1 and defeated Texas A&M International 3-0 in a tournament they hosted. Neither of those two opponents have beaten an NCAA Division II squad outside of their match against each other in Salt Lake.

WC has common opponents with CSC in Western New Mexico, Western State, and Colorado Mesa. Both teams lost all three matches, however the Eagles went five sets with both WSCU and CMU last weekend. Westminster was swept by the trio.

The Griffins do not have a senior on their team, with freshmen taking up half of the 16 roster spots in addition to five juniors and three sophomores.

Statistically, they fall into line with what CSC has accomplished so far this season. They are hitting for a team percentage of .122 only slightly lower than CSC's .140 but ahead of bottom-ranked Black Hills State at .101. Their lead attacker is junior middle blocker Amara Spere, with 2.86 kills per set and a hitting percentage of .160. Three other hitters - junior middle blocker Desiree Wickwar and a pair of freshmen - also contribute extensively.

Defensively, the Griffins are allowing opponents to hit .241, slightly lower than the league-high .248 allowed by CSC. They have four middle blockers with at least 20 total blocks for the season, led by junior Katie Allen with 30 stops in 36 sets. After those four, there is a steep dropoff however, as the team ranks 11th of 15 league teams in that statistical category. Chadron State ranks second.

Junior libero Megan Gallegos has played 39 of 43 sets this season and averages 3.82 digs on the year. As a team, WC leads CSC in digs by an average of 1.74, parrying 15.35 opponent attacks per set.

Westminster is looking for its first conference win of the season and its first road win. Chadron State will need a win tomorrow night to keep pace with the middle of the conference standings and remain in contention for a postseason tournament bid.

CSC won 3-0 last season in Salt Lake City. This will be the Griffins first-ever trip to Chadron after joining the conference rotation last season.

First serve in Chicoine Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.