#21 Mines (17-2, 11-0) vs. Colorado Christian (9-11, 7-4) – Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#21 Mines (17-2, 11-0) vs. Regis (13-7, 9-2) – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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WHERE I-70 AND HWY 6 MEET
The #21-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team returns home this weekend as Colorado Christian makes the short drive up Highway 6 and Regis will meander down I-70 for a pair of critical RMAC showdowns inside Lockridge Arena. At 17-2 overall and 11-0 in RMAC play, the Orediggers put their 11-match win streak on the line against the #6 and #3 teams in the league.
 
LOOKING BACK
Mines stayed hot on its trip south with a pair of sweeps over New Mexico Highlands and CSU-Pueblo. The Orediggers encountered little resistance from either team as Drew Stokes racked up 84 assists in six sets while Abby Tiesman and Taylor Hicken combined for 45 kills. Hicken finished the trip hitting over .500 on the attack. The victories mark three straight sweeps for the Orediggers and Mines' 10th and 11th consecutive victories.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian rolls into Golden tied for sixth in the RMAC standings which would put the Cougars in the conference tournament if the season ended today. Under .500 overall (9-11), CCU is 7-4 in league action and riding a two-match win streak. The Cougars are led by Cali Bahnsen's 219 kills. Kylee Wurster was named Preseason RMAC Setter of the Year and has pulled her weight with 796 assists which rank 23rd-most in NCAA Division II. On defense, Mariela Gonzalez boasts 366 digs while Katie Henry and Ashley Drye have racked up 33 blocks each.
 
COOL COUGAR FACTS
Colorado Christian Athletics bears the nickname Cougars. Also known as a puma, mountain lion, panther or catamount, it is the biggest cat in North America and second-heaviest cat in the western hemisphere after the jaguar. Cougars' tails are nearly three feet long, equaling a third of its total length. Male cougars may use a home range of 50-150 square miles. Cougars also appreciate leftovers. After they're done feeding on prey, Cougars cover the carcass with leaves and sticks to save it for later. From a sitting position, cougars can reach a vertical leap near 18 feet and up to 40 feet horizontally. And now you know.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
The preseason favorite to win the RMAC, Regis enters the weekend tied for third in the conference standings. The Rangers have won three straight matches since faltering in five sets at Colorado Mesa. Preseason RMAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year Nikki Kennedy leads RU with 262 kills in 78 sets along with 107 total blocks which ranks #2 in the nation. Silvia Basso is in the mix for RMAC Setter of the Year with 882 assists and a rate of 11.45 assists per set. Defensively, Kristina Schell anchors Regis with 342 digs at 4.38 digs per set. As a team, the Rangers are #14 in the country in total assists and total kills.
 
BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW – RANGERS IN EXILE
In part, Regis University (formerly Regis College) was originally founded in Las Vegas, N.M. in 1877 by a group of exiled Italian Jesuits. The school later joined with Sacred Heart College in Morrison, Colo., to form what everyone now knows as Regis University in Denver. Who would've thought there was more than one RMAC school in Las Vegas, N.M.? Regis' athletic teams adopted the nickname Rangers which seems appropriate since they're defined as "a keeper of park, forest, or area of countryside," and Denver serves as a gateway to many such areas.
 
LOCKRIDGE ARENA
Fondly referred to as "The Lock", Mines' home court for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball features seating for 3,000 at Oredigger home athletics events. The venue has also twice hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Central Regional Tournament. Additionally, Lockridge Arena hosts numerous major campus events and has been graced by the presence of Barack Obama, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and many others.
 
CHICK-FIL-A, HACKY SACKS & T-SHIRTS
Promotions for this weekend's matches are some of the best of the season. Friday's match is Chick-Fil-A night featuring 100 Chick-Fil-A CFA Cards to the first fans through the door. Saturday gets even better with 100 Hacky Sacks available for giveaway. Both nights will have the ever-loved Denver Athletic Fan Frenzy T-Shirt Toss.
 
SECOND TIME AROUND
Friday and Saturday mark the second time Mines has faced Colorado Christian and Regis in 2018. The Orediggers went 2-0 in the first round with a pair of five-set thrillers in Denver and Lakewood. At the time, Regis was ranked #15 in the nation, but 18 kills from Abby Tiesman sent Mines over the top. At CCU it was Tiesman again with 14 kills while Taylor Hicken added 10 of her own – a career best at the time.
 
RMAC SETTER OF THE WEEK
Drew Stokes was named the RMAC Setter of the Week Monday, her fourth straight award of the season. The distinction was fueled by 84 total assists for the week. Stokes pumped out 40 helpers at New Mexico Highlands and 44 more at CSU-Pueblo. The true freshman ranks first in the RMAC and #10 in the nation in assists per set. She is also #16 in DII in total assists.
 
SETTER SHOWDOWN
This weekend's matchups features three of the best setters in the nation. Prior to the season, nobody in the RMAC had heard of Drew Stokes as everyone looked to CCU's Kylee Wurster and Regis' Silvia Basso to battle it out for RMAC Setter of the Year honors. With Wurster boasting Preseason RMAC Setter of the Year honors and Basso taking home two of the first three Setter of the Week honors, the duo is now looking up at Stokes' league-leading 11.60 assists per set. All three in the trio currently rank in the nation's top 25 in total assists while Stokes and Basso rank in top 15 in assists per set.
 
HISTORIC START
Through 19 matches, Mines has matched its best start to a season with head coach Jamie Magalei at the helm. The Orediggers have never started better than 17-2 and the last time they accomplished the task was 2014 when Mines went 25-4 and didn't suffer its third and fourth losses until the postseason. In RMAC play, Magalei's squad started the 2017 season 13-0 as they finished the campaign 17-1 in league play.
 
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Mines has risen in the American Volleyball Coaches Division II National Poll for four consecutive weeks, now #21 in the nation. The Orediggers are the only nationally-ranked team in the RMAC with Colorado Mesa currently receiving votes. Mines has appeared in 88 of the last 89 national rankings.
 
STREAK STATS
The Orediggers' 11-match win streak is the sixth-longest active streak in all of NCAA Division II. Just eight other DII programs have more consecutive wins at this point in time. Mines has not lost a match since Sept. 1 in Indianapolis. The team's 11-match run features seven sweeps and three five-set thrillers.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Orediggers continue their 2018 campaign with a trip to MSU Denver Oct. 19 and then to Chadron State Oct. 20. Live stats and video of the matches will be available at www.MinesAthletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.