COLORADO MESA | Friday, Sept. 6 | 5 p.m. CT | 
- This meeting marks LCU's third all-time meeting against Grand Junction, Colo. Based Colorado Mesa, and all three are within a four-year span. LCU fell 3-1 to the Mavericks Sept. 9, 2016 in Stephenville, Texas and 3-0 in their 2017 home-opener (Sept. 7, 2017).
- CMU is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), where they are preseason picked second in the conference. The 2018 RMAC Tournament Champions made their fourth NCAA Division II Tournament appearance over a five-year span. They are receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, and the highest ranked RMAC squad.
- The Mavs enter season No.15 with Dave Fleming serving as the head coach. They return a pair of All-American middle blockers in South Central Region Player of the Year Kasie Gilfert and Camille Smith (both are natives of Parker, Colo.). Gilfert set a RMAC record with a NCAA-leading (all levels) .451 attack percentage for the season 
- Colorado Mesa is no stranger to the Oredigger Classic, as they make their third voyage to Golden, Colo. in a four-year span to open their season.
- Maddi Foutz leads the charge of the new crop of incoming players for CMU. She is a transfer of Colorado State, where she started in 31 matches and appeared in the NCAA Tournament (led CSU with 18 digs in a 3-2 loss against No.19 Tennessee in the tournament). 

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES | Friday, Sept. 6 | 8 p.m. CT | 
- The Lady Chaps and Colorado School of Mines have only met one prior time, with the contest occurring Sept. 11, 1981 in Denver, Colo. The tilt was at a tournament hosted by Regis University. LCU won the match 2-0.
- CSM is picked to lead to the RMAC. They went 24-6 last season and they co-led the RMAC regular season with a 16-2 mark, which allowed them the No.1-seed and hosting honors of the RMAC Tournament. 
- The Orediggers are returning 13 of 15 starters, led by two-time All-American honorable mention Abby Tiesman and AVCA National Freshman of the Year and All-American Drew Stokes.
- Mines has appeared in 10 straight NCAA Tournaments dating back to 2009.
- CSM has 12 combined sophomore and freshmen members and only two seniors. Tiesman and lone-Texas native Delaney Duis (Trophy Club, Texas) make up the only sophomores on the young and talented roster.
 
LADY CHAP NOTES
- LCU is 27-13 all-time in season openers and has won nine of their 11 prior season openers.
- Friday's season opener marks the head coaching debut of interim head coach Mandy Polk, who takes over for Jennifer Lawrence. Polk has served as Lawrence's top assistant coach the past four continuous seasons. Lawrence took over LCU's Director of Compliance role after 15 seasons as LCU's head coach. She went 336-155 in 491 career matches leading the Lady Chaps.
-The Lady Chaps are coming off a 21-9 season in 2018. They went 10-2 in conference, leading to their only Heartland Conference regular season title. 
- LCU is preseason picked sixth in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll. This season marks LCU's first season as members of the Lone Star Conference. LCU had been in the Heartland Conference since 2013.
- Three All-Heartland Conference selections return for the 2019 season, including Heartland Conference Setter of the Year Brady Marshall. The Lubbock, Texas native became the first LCU freshman to eclipse 1,000 assists since former Lady Chap All-American Rachel Stuyvesant went quadruple digits in 2006. She led the Heartland Conference and ranked 22nd nationally with a conference-leading 11.08 assists per set, which ranked fourth nationally among all freshmen.
- Friday's matches will feature seven new additions seeking their first action as a member of the Lady Chaps. The new members are Hannah Brink, Sage Chain, Hailey Cournoyer, Katy Giusti, Mady McCully, Kaylee Waddle and Sloan Williams. On top of the new additions, Sarah Wall returns from injury seeking her first action since Sept. 12, 2017.
- LCU faces the tough challenge in replacing their team leader in kills (Lauren Zoller) and digs (Kelsie French). Zoller produced a team-leading 355 kills, while also collecting 245 digs and serving 22 aces. French closed out a career with 609 digs her senior season, which put her above 600 digs in each of her four playing seasons with LCU. She was LCU's only four-time Heartland Conference All-Conference selection and she finished her career with 2,580 digs, which ranks second all-time in program history and had her as second among active career leaders. The Heartland Conference named her to the 20^th Anniversary Team.