COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ Payton Tompkins, Fort Lewis College’s Ella Butler, and Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Karyna Werley are the Week 8 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Players of the Week, announced Monday.

Offensive
Payton Tompkins, UCCS (Sophomore, Outside Hitter, Dallas, Texas)
Tompkins was a force for the Mountain Lions, powering her team to another set of conference wins. The Dallas, Texas, native opened the week with 10 kills in a sweep of Colorado State University Pueblo, averaging 3.33 kills per set. She then erupted for a career-high 25 kills on .300 hitting as UCCS battled past Colorado Christian in a thrilling 3-2 victory. Across the two matches, the sophomore totaled 35 kills, averaging 4.38 per set, with an impressive .291 hitting percentage. Her kill total and kills per set average both led the conference for the week, while her 36 total points ranked second overall. Behind Tompkins’ play, the Mountain Lions are tied for top spot in the conference with MSU Denver.

Others Nominated: Randi Wellhoefer, Black Hills State; Kally Kirkwood, Chadron State; Henley Madsen, Colorado Mesa; Amanda Donais Dudley, Colorado School of Mines; Caelyn Gunn, CSU Pueblo; Caroline Munson, Fort Lewis; Brooke Gennerman, MSU Denver; Elise Fourt, New Mexico Highlands; Isabella Smith, Regis; Lexi Glendenning, South Dakota Mines; Breegan Huntsman, Westminster.

Defensive
Ella Butler, Fort Lewis (Senior, Middle Blocker Chandler, Arizona)
Butler anchored the Skyhawks’ undefeated week, fueling wins over Adams State and New Mexico Highlands. The senior was dominant at the net, opening the week with a career-high nine blocks (six solo) and 15.5 points in Fort Lewis’s 3-1 victory over the Grizzlies. She carried that momentum into Saturday’s match against New Mexico Highlands, adding five more blocks and 13.5 points to close out a perfect week. Butler finished with 14 total blocks and 1.75 blocks per set, both the top marks in the RMAC for the week. Her commanding presence at the net helped Fort Lewis maintain the conference’s best opponent hitting percentage (.155) while holding the No. 3 spot in the conference standings.

Others Nominated: Logan Conlin, Adams State; Ellie Thomas, Black Hills State; Jillian Donovan, Colorado Mesa; Jada Price, Colorado School of Mines; Chinaru Inoue, CSU Pueblo; Kryssa Moerman, MSU Denver; Becca Wiersema, New Mexico Highlands; Braiziah Dixon, Regis; Hannah Benes, South Dakota Mines; Nicole Martin, UCCS; Josie Gerritsen, Westminster.

Setter
Karyna Werley, MSU Denver (Freshman, Setter, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
 Werley earned another RMAC Setter of the Week honor after orchestrating a dominant weekend for the Roadrunners. The freshman floor general guided her team to a pair of sweeps over Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo, lifting the Roadrunners to a 9-1 conference record and a share of the No. 1 spot in the standings. Werley opened the week with 14 assists (4.67 per set) while adding 12 points and eight kills (2.67 per set) of her own. She elevated her play even further in Saturday’s matchup, dishing out 23 assists (7.67 per set), along with 9.5 points and nine kills, as the Roadrunners downed the ThunderWolves. Across the two matches, Werley totaled 37 assists (6.17 per set), 21.5 points, and 17 kills (2.83 per set), continuing her standout debut season in the RMAC.

Others Nominated: Elena Atkinson, Black Hills State; Jillian Donovan, Chadron State; Ashlyn Tafoya, Colorado Mesa; Hailee Martinez, Colorado School of Mines; Elena Stankovic, CSU Pueblo; Naya Dornic, New Mexico Highlands; Bailey Nichols, Regis; Hannah Joseph, South Dakota Mines; Audrey Dowd, UCCS; Leila Cornejo, Westminster.

About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.