CHADRON, Neb. -- September 28, 2017 -- Three days after winning one set and pushing No. 11 Regis hard at home, the Chadron State College volleyball team is off on a trek across the Rockies to visit Westminster College in Salt Lake City, where they play Friday at 7 p.m.

The Eagles have made strides toward consistency, and they are now playing more like a postseason contender than they started the season. At 4-9 (1-4 RMAC), they have twice the wins under their belts as they did this time last season.

Four of their five Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matches so far have been against opponents at the top of the league standings, and with a combined RMAC record of 14 wins and three losses. Each of those losses, by the way, were to Regis. CSC is 1-4 in league play, but has most likely played the toughest conference schedule to date.

After dropping a three-setter to UCCS in their opener, the Eagles took control of an entire set at home versus MSU Denver and Regis, swept their most vulnerable foe Western State on the road, and had three sets at Colorado Mesa which were closely contested, up to a point.

CSC has stiffened up its competitiveness since starting league play, but both sides still have some work to do in order to get back on the winning track.

The numbers bear out improvement on both the attacking and receiving ends.

Against Regis, the team's back court recorded its most digs so far in an RMAC match, and had the fewest receiving errors, tied with the win at Western. At the net, the team had its best blocking performance since league play began, with four total blocks.

The Eagles' passing game took a step forward as well. There were zero ball handling errors by CSC against Regis, and the setters recorded their highest number of assists so far this season.

Offensively, there were some positives, but also there were areas for improvement. The team had its second-best kill numbers of the entire season on Tuesday, but also the most hitting errors. A big factor in that outcome was the six-footers playing on the other side of the net, who recorded 12 total blocks. The Eagles showed explosiveness on the attack, but found themselves often swinging hard into sets of hands rather than open court.

Perhaps more importantly than team stats, CSC showed resiliency on Tuesday night. The team battled back from several holes, getting out of a 15-11 deficit in the first set and fending off three set points for the visitors, to perservere and come out of a 60-point set with the 31-29 advantage. They also came out of an 11-4 slump to start the third frame, to close to within three late in the set. Finally, down 2-1 in the match, the Eagles dug in and powered to a 13-5 lead in what proved to be the match's final act.

Despite four early conference losses, the sledding is mostly downhill from here. Out of the Eagles' nine remaining league opponents, all but one are currently below .500 overall through four weeks, and only three of the nine are above .500 in RMAC matches.

Friday's opponent Westminster, like Chadron State, has won once in conference and four times overall. At 4-8 (1-3 RMAC), the Griffins have taken a similar path, getting three non-conference wins before being swept by Colorado Mesa then sweeping Western State in league play. Also like CSC, the Griffins are coming off an honest showing against a ranked opponent, falling 3-1 at No. 23 Colorado Mines. Westminster has played six of their last eight matches at home, where they picked up all four of their wins.

Going into somewhat unfamiliar territory will be difficult for the Eagles, as will the nearly 600-mile jaunt through Wyoming to Utah. However the opposition on the court will be equally as difficult to overcome.

The Griffins lean heavily on a group of experienced blockers, particularly seniors Amara Spere and Katie Hutchings. Together with several others in the rotation, the team averages 2.26 blocks per set, good for second in the conference behind only Regis.

They also feature a pair of talented freshmen on the front line. Audrey Green is a 5-10 outside hitter who leads the team with 114 kills and has accumulated 25 total blocks. Yet another middle blocker, Taylor Harvey is second on the team with 81 kills, and has added 20 total blocks. Together the pair of phenoms account for nearly six total points per set and have played in all 40 sets for the Griffins.

In the series, the Griffins and Eagles are dead even with one match apiece to boast. Each of those matches was won by the home team. Westminster swept CSC in 2015 in Salt Lake City, while the Eagles got the 3-0 win last year in Chadron.

The match is marked for live video and live stats coverage by Westminster College at the following URL: portal.stretchinternet.com/chadron/. First serve is at 7 p.m.