DBU (0-0, 0-0) at OREDIGGER CLASSIC
September 2-3 | 3:30PM | Golden, CO | Lockridge Arena  

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THE LEAD
DBU is poised to start the 2016 season strong as they are gearing up for their first post-season berth since advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament in 2013. The Lady Patriots lost two key impact players, former assist leader Kaycie Bird and the stat stuffer Tadam Mergener to graduation. Dallas Baptist now looks to the senior leadership of Hannah Ballew, redshirt senior Holly Benoit, and 2015 First Team All-Heartland Conference member Carly Hess. The Lady Patriots are projected to finish third in The Heartland Conference, as voted by head coaches and sports information directors in the conference.

KOKEL CLOSING IN ON 200 WINS
DBU Head Coach Cathy Kokel is coming into her 14^th season at the helm of the Lady Patriots. With 6 more wins, Kokel will eclipse a monumental 200 wins for the Lady Patriot Volleyball Program as she sits at 194 total wins.  Behind Kokel's leadership, the Lady Patriots have made numerous appearances in NCAA and NCCAA tournaments, going as far as the National Champion runner-up at the NCCAA National Tournament in 2009.

DON'T MESS WITH HESS
As mentioned, Carly Hess is returning for her senior season at DBU and looks to build off of her 2015 First Team All-Conference honor and her impressive team leading 259 kills.
 
NICKS COMING OFF IMPRESSIVE FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN
Lauren Nicks exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 2015. She quickly made her presence known as a talented and reliable libero, in which she was awarded three times as the Heartland Conference Libero of the Week. Nicks Led DBU in digs with 497 and ranked third in the Heartland Conference in digs per set with an average of 5.23. This earned Hicks 2015 First Team All-Conference honors and she looks to make an even greater impact in her sophomore season.

THE LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Patriots are on schedule to play against four teams at the Oredigger Classic. Of those four teams, Western State Colorado is the only team Dallas Baptist has no volleyball history with. The host team, Colorado School of Mines was last faced in September of 2014 where the Lady Patriots fell 0-3. DBU will also be against the Colorado Mesa Mavericks to whom they last played in September 2013 and fell short 1-3. Lastly, with the first game of the tournament, the Lady Patriots will face the Wayne State Wildcats for the first time since August 2012 where DBU lost in three sets. The Lady Patriots look at this tournament as a tale of historic redemption. 

SCOUTING THE OREDIGGER CLASSIC
The Colorado School of Mines are coming into the Oredigger Classic ranked #25 in the preseason polls by the AVCA and coming off a stellar 27-6 season reaching the semifinals in the NCAA Regional Tournament. A player to be mindful of from the Mines is Alanna Winfield, a decorated athlete who has already been named the RMAC Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year. The Colorado Mesa Mavericks finished 2015 with a 19-12 record where they reached the NCAA South Regional semi-finals. The Wayne State Wildcats approach the season ranked #6 by the AVCA after finishing an notable 2015 season (28-8) by reaching the Final Four in the NCAA Playoffs and earning a #3 ranking in Division II. The WSCU Mountaineers finished their 2015 campaign with a record of 13-17. All teams reached their esteemed conference tournaments.

HISTORY VS. THE FIELD
The Lady Patriots are still on a mission to get a win against the Colorado School of Mines (0-2), Colorado Mesa (0-2) and the Wayne State Wildcats to whom they lost their only match against back in 2012. They will face the WSCU Mountaineers for the first time at the Oredigger Classic.