CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State volleyball hits the road this week in search of a win that will count in the RMAC standings when they face CSU Pueblo and Adams State this Friday and Saturday.

After winning the first set but failing to win the match in both contests last week, Chadron State (4-12, 0-6 RMAC) is still winless in conference play, although they have defeated a pair of RMAC opponents, South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State, in nonconference matches in that time frame. Both of this week's matches are conference games.

The Eagles will face CSU Pueblo (10-6, 4-2 RMAC) on Friday at 7 p.m. in Pueblo and Adams State (4-13, 1-5 RMAC) on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Alamosa. Both matches can be live streamed on the RMAC Network and followed via live stats.

Looking Back
Chadron State endured a pair of come-from-behind efforts by its opponents, with UCCS winning in five sets and Regis winning in four sets over the Eagles at the Chicoine Center.

RECAPS: UCCS | Regis

In both matches, Chadron State took an early lead. The Eagles won the first two sets against UCCS and the first set against Regis but followed by dropping the next three.

Freshman Mataya Ward had a career-high 12 kills against UCCS, followed by six against Regis. CSC's serving came and went, as the Eagles put up nine service aces against UCCS and five against Regis but had 13 service errors against the Rangers.

Air Aiyana
Aiyana Fujiyama had a good weekend both offensively and defensively for the Eagles.

The senior recorded a hitting percentage of over .400 in both matches this past weekend. She hit .400 with 10 kills and 2 errors on 20 attempts against UCCS and then had five kills with no errors on 10 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage against Regis.

Fujiyama, who leads Chadron State and ranks eighth in the RMAC with 53 blocks, certainly added to that total last weekend, racking up four total blocks against UCCS and seven total blocks, including a solo block, against Regis.

The seven blocks in a match are Fujiyama's second-highest single-match total this season behind her 10 against South Dakota Mines back on October 1. Fujiyama has recorded four blocks or more in each of the past four matches.

Sisters Update
Senior setter Kendyl Kirkwood and sophomore outside hitter Kally Kirkwood of Fleming, Colorado are in their second season as teammates on the Chadron State roster. Head Coach Jennifer Stadler has leaned into the Kirkwoods' natural chemistry, often bringing them in off the bench together at the same time early on in each set.

Kendyl Kirkwood is recording 4.73 assists per set and leads the Chadron State roster with 260 assists so far in 2024. She also ranks third on the team with 111 digs.

Kally Kirkwood has the second-most kills on the Chadron State roster with 107. She had a run with three double-digit kill matches in a row, tallying 11 against Fort Lewis and 12 against both South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State from September 28-October 4. Kally's 24 blocks are tied for third on the Eagles.

Hernandez Tracker
Chadron State libero Alondra Hernandez continues to lead the RMAC in digs per set and has maintained a streak of double-digit digs in every match so far this season.  

Hernandez had 32 digs against UCCS last Friday, tying her own record for the most digs in a single match by an RMAC player this season after she also had 32 against the University of Mary. Hernandez is up to six games with 20 or more digs this season, with outputs of 21 against Cal State San Marcos, 22 against Missouri Southern, 20 against Fort Lewis and 21 against South Dakota Mines other than her two 32-dig matches.

With 283 total digs in 57 sets played, Alondra is averaging 4.96 digs/set, which leads the RMAC by 0.2 digs/set over CCU's Shelby Hernandez. That mark ranks 36^th nationally in Division II.

Between her two seasons at Central Wyoming College, one season at Division I Norfolk State and her time at Chadron State, Hernandez is currently at 2,055 career digs across all collegiate stops.

In the Polls
Chadron State has certainly had a tough schedule up to this point, as the Eagles have faced off against both the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll – MSU Denver and Nebraska-Kearney.

The Eagles have also faced No. 16 Point Loma. Against the three ranked opponents, the Eagles are a combined 0-3 with one set win. There are two RMAC teams nationally ranked in the AVCA poll – MSU Denver at No. 2 and Colorado Mesa at No. 17. Chadron State is scheduled to host CMU on Tuesday, October 22 at the Chicoine Center.

In a preseason vote of the league's head coaches, Chadron State was picked to finish eighth out of 15 teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, receiving 96 points in the poll.

MSU Denver led the way with seven first-place votes and 189 points. The Roadrunners have won the last three RMAC regular season titles. Colorado Mesa received six first-place votes and 183 points to narrowly finish second in the preseason poll. Regis was picked third, receiving the final two first place votes.

The other teams picked ahead of Chadron by the coaches are South Dakota Mines, CSU Pueblo, Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian. After the Eagles in eighth, the rest of the poll is rounded out by Fort Lewis, Westminster, UCCS, Adams State, Western Colorado, Black Hills State and New Mexico Highlands.

Scouting the ThunderWolves
CSU Pueblo is coming off a season where they finished fifth in the RMAC and lost in five sets to South Dakota Mines in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals.

This year, the ThunderWolves are 10-6 with a 4-2 RMAC record. CSU Pueblo defeated New Mexico Highlands (3-0), Adams State (3-1), Black Hills State (3-0) and South Dakota Mines (3-1) for their conference wins. Both losses came this past weekend, when Pueblo pushed nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa to five sets but were then swept by Westminster.

Junior Sadie Scoville is Pueblo's kills leader with 192, 3.43 per set. Scoville is also a potent server, with 25 aces on the year to rank fourth in the RMAC with 0.45 aces per set. Sophomore Macy Wood ranks ninth in the RMAC with 0.93 blocks per set, 39 in total, while senior Josey Nunn has 34.

CSU Pueblo head coach Austin Albers is in his sixth season. He has taken the ThunderWolves to an RMAC Tournament berth in all five of his seasons at the helm, with two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022. Prior to Pueblo, Albers was the head coach at Laramie County CC in Wyoming and was an assistant coach at Sheridan College and Black Hills State University where he coached under Jennifer Stadler.

Chadron State is 5-12 all-time against CSU Pueblo, with the ThunderWolves winning the last four meetings.

Scouting the Grizzlies
Adams State is 4-13 this season with a 1-5 RMAC record. They were picked to finish 12^th out of 15 RMAC teams in the preseason poll.

The Grizzlies got their only conference win of the year so far against Black Hills State, although they have also defeated New Mexico Highlands in a nonconference matchup. Last weekend, Adams State lost in straight sets to Westminster and in four sets to nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa.

Redshirt seniors Anna Huggins (209 kills, 3.22 kills/set) and Cindy Garcia (134 kills, 3.44 kills/set) are ASU's primary weapons, while sophomore Katie Bauer (98 kills) is hitting .315. Keely-Shae Sapiga and Sierra Leone Sanchez both average over three digs per set.

Adams State head coach Garcia Ramser is in his first season at Adams State and first season as a head coach. He was previously an assistant at Angelo State University, a member of Division II's Lone Star Conference in Texas, as well as assistant stops at Division II schools Canisius and Quincy. Adams State is 17-4 against Chadron State since 2005. The two teams split a pair of matchups last year, with Chadron winning in straight sets at home and ASU winning in five in Alamosa.

Coach's Corner
Head Coach Jennifer Stadler will begin her sixth season at the helm of the Chadron State volleyball program in 2024.

In her first year in charge in 2019, Stadler immediately led the Eagles to a winning record of 14-12. That year, Stadler coached the RMAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in Ashton Burditt, who is now an assistant coach on her staff.

The Eagles had a banner year in 2023, finishing 15-12 for the program's highest win total since 2003. Chadron also had an 8-6 conference mark in 2023, finishing sixth in the league and qualifying for the RMAC Tournament for the first time in 20 years.

Prior to CSC, Stadler coached for eight seasons at Sheridan College in Wyoming, racking up three straight 20-win seasons from 2012-2014. She was a player, assistant coach and interim head coach at current RMAC foe Black Hills State, back when the Yellow Jackets competed in the Dakota Athletic Conference.

Entering the 2024 season, Stadler has a career record of 45-74 at Chadron State.