Colorado Christian vs. Colorado School of Mines
Saturday, Jan. 30 | 2:00 p.m.
Lakewood, CO (CCU Event Center)
No Fans Allowed
- Over the last 10 matches in Lakewood, the Orediggers have won seven of the match-ups
- In 2012 the two squads met in the NCAA postseason with Colorado School of Mines posting a four-set victory
Follow Along:
RMAC Network
Live Stats
Game Day Flipcard (PDF)
RMAC Outlook
The Cougars were picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The senior duo of
Maddie Burns and
Jacey Johnson were selected as Players to Watch for the squad. The coaches selected MSU Denver and Regis as the preseason co-favorites while Colorado School of Mines rounds out the top three.
Setter Experience
Both setters on the Cougars rosters have plenty of collegiate experience. Senior
Maddie Burns and sophomore
Jincey Nystedt both started matches last season averaging 9.51 and 9.76 assists per set respectively.
Welcome to the Newcomers
The Cougars welcome six freshman and two transfers to the roster for the campaign. The "freshman team" includes
Alli Douglass,
Leielle Salinger,
Megan Piton,
Kylar Raymond,
Madelyn Long and
Mackenzie Close. The group could almost form their own team as they play all positions but setter.
Transfer
Ryanne Ferro and
Breanna Allen also join the squad for their first seasons at the NCAA level. Ferro previously played at NAIA Dordt College as a defensively specialists while Allen was an outside hitter at Glendale Community College.
Head Coach - Bobby Blanken
The 2020 season will be
Bobby Blanken's fourth as Colorado Christian's Head Volleyball Coach. In his first year, Coach Blanken led the team to a conference record of 14-4 which landed a 4th place conference finish which allowed the program to host a RMAC Tournament match for the first time.
During his three seasons with the Cougars he has coached six all-conference players as well as an all-region and All-American player in Sophia Proano. 9248
Before Colorado Christian, Blanken served MSU Denver's head assistant coach since 2014. In his three-year stint at MSU Denver, Blanken helped lead a very successful program that went 18-0 in the RMAC in 2016.
Prior to coaching at MSU Denver, Blanken was the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at The Master's College in Santa Clarita, CA from 2010-2014. During his time at The Master's College, Blanken successfully built the program from a 7-22 first year record to a No. 6 NAIA finish in his final year. Blanken was named the 2012 AVCA West Region Coach of the Year and 2012 Golden State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. At The Master's College, Blanken totaled a record of 87-56 (.608).
