Mines (17-6, 10-5 RMAC) at Colorado Mesa (15-8, 11-4 RMAC) – Friday, 7 p.m. – Grand Junction, Colo. – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (17-6, 10-5 RMAC) at Western Colorado (10-13, 6-9 RMAC) – Saturday, 6 p.m. – Gunnison, Colo.  [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 
ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and all RMAC contests can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Three matches remain in the regular season for the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team, and two of them are scheduled for this Friday and Saturday on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains. Entering the weekend ranked fifth in the RMAC standings, the Orediggers are looking for a pair of wins to position themselves for a top-four seed in the conference tournament and hosting rights for the quarterfinal round. Mines will face Colorado Mesa on Friday. The Mavericks currently sit fourth in the conference standings. Saturday features a trip up to 7,600 feet of elevation for a showdown against a dangerous Western Colorado team. All that to say, time and opportunities are running short for the Orediggers to best position themselves headed into the postseason.
 
LAST WEEKEND
We'll give you the Cliff Notes on this one. Mines swept Chadron State on Friday and took down MSU Denver in five sets on Saturday. That marked just the second RMAC loss of the season for the Roadrunners. It also Mines' second 2-0 weekend dating back into September. Abby Tiesman knocked down 30 kills. Drew Stokes had 95 assists and Elle Duis racked up 33 digs. It was also Parents' Night, Alumni Night and Senior Night.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
At 15-8 overall and 11-4 in RMAC play, Colorado Mesa enters the weekend with an inferior overall record but holds a one-game advantage of Mines in conference play. The Mavericks have one five of their last six matches including sweeps of Westminster, Fort Lewis and Adams State. Dixie State dealt CMU its one loss during that span. It was a four-set defeat in Utah. Notably, Colorado Mesa is a perfect 6-0 at home this season. Individually, Kasie Gilfert leads the attack behind 327 kills and .389 hitting percentage. Ara Norwood has handed out 530 assists at a clip of 6.63 assists per set. Kerstin Layman boasts 377 digs on defense and Gilftert also touts 69 total blocks. Nationally, the Mavericks rank #8 in assists per set and #10 in kills per set. Gilftert is #15 in the country in hitting percentage and #19 in points per set.
 
FUN COW FACTS
For those who may have forgotten, a quick review reminds us that a maverick – Colorado Mesa's athletics nickname and mascot – is an unbranded calf or yearling – a cow. We'll ignore the gross inaccuracies between the Mavericks' logo and actual definition of their name and move right into fun cow facts. While America is (somewhat) historically known for its red-meat eating, carnivorous ways, the U.S.A. does not actually have the most cows. As of 2016, India had the largest cattle inventory on the planet followed by Brazil and then China. There are over 800 different cattle breeds and none of them eat meat – ever. Possibly the most interesting fact about cows is they can see almost 360 degrees – allowing them to watch for predators from all angles. Ironically, they don't see so well straight in front of them. Cows can detect odors of to six miles away and don't like to be alone. Bovine have 32 teeth but no upper front teeth. All that being said, the author never imagined writing nearly 200 words about cows, but here we are.
 
BROWNSON ARENA
Colorado Mesa basketball, wrestling and volleyball all compete inside Brownson Arena. Opened in 1968 boasting seating for 1,800, Brownson Arena was most recently renovated in 2009 with the addition of seat-back bleachers on the west wall and expanded seating on the east wall. New scoreboards and sound system allow CMU to tout the facility as, "one of the best small college facilities in the country." The renovations also added luxury suites overlooking the gym. Generally speaking, the arena maintains a standard layout with stands on either side but not at the ends. Fans can park just east of the main entrance in the Maverick Center parking garage.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
Western Colorado's record overall and in conference play may be under .500, but the Mountaineers are certainly a dangerous opponent. After a five-set victory over CSU-Pueblo to start RMAC action, Western Colorado also took Dixie State to five sets and recorded four sweeps in six conference wins. Most recently, the Mountaineers swept Adams State and took down Fort Lewis in four sets. Both matches were played in Gunnison, Colo. The player to watch on offense is Jordyn Todd who boasts 234 kills on the year. Hanna Hendrickson handles the setting duties to the tune of 689 assists in 85 sets. Myles Hilbert anchors the back row and has 327 digs. Brianna Hardy leads the team in blocks with 48.
 
WHAT'S A MOUNTAINEER?
Western Colorado University, previously known as Colorado State Normal School and Western State Colorado University, uses the nickname Mountaineers for its athletics programs. Merriam-Webster defines a Mountaineer as a native or inhabitant of a mountainous region, or a person who climbs mountains for sport. The institution lives up to its nickname as the first school (1901) on the Western Slope of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Western Colorado further embraces its geological location and history with its Mountain Sports program which includes freeride skiing and snowboarding, alpine ski racing, Nordic ski racing and many more. With three freeride skiing athletes qualifying for the Freeride World Tour, it's clear Western Colorado is truly, the Mountaineers.
 
PAUL WRIGHT GYM
The home to Western Colorado basketball, volleyball and wrestling is Paul Wright Gym. It's named after a 38-year professor, coach and administrator at then Western State College. He was also a judge and mayor in Gunnison and played a key role in establishing skiing as an NCAA sport. The facility was built in 1951 and now boasts a capacity of 1,800 spectators. It is boasted as the highest collegiate gym in the world at 7,723 feet above sea level. The complex also features a swimming pool, wrestling room and 2,500 square foot weight room. Seating for spectators is typical gymnasium bleachers with a lower "bowl" and upper mezzanine area across from the team's benches.
 
SERIES HISTORY
With Head Coach Jamie Magalei at the helm since 2008, Mines is 9-5 against Colorado Mesa and 12-1 against Western Colorado. In their most recent meeting, the Orediggers and Mavericks went five sets inside Lockridge Arena on Oct. 27, 2018. Colorado Mesa came out on top in that contest, but Mines still won the regular-season conference title. Overall, the Orediggers have swept CMU four times since 2008 and experienced six five-set thrillers. On the other side of things, Mines has not lost to WCU since 2015 and has swept the Mountaineers 10 times in 13 meetings.
 
MILESTONES AND RECORDS
There have been numerous milestones surpassed in the 2019 season, but no records broken – yet. Some of the more memorable milestones include Abby Tiesman moving over 1,000 kills for her career. She also surpassed 300 digs and 300 blocks. Tiesman continues to climb the ranks on Mines' all-time kills and blocks list. She currently ranks #9 in all-time kills and #5 in all-time block assists. Sophomore setter Drew Stokes went over the 2,000 assists mark and now ranks #6 in program history with 2,341 assists. Additionally, sophomore libero Elle Duis is quickly approaching 1,000 digs for her career with 878 as a sophomore. Another player to watch is junior Lindsey Jin who boasts 823 kills as a junior.
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
Mines debuted at #4 in the first NCAA Regional Rankings of 2018. In the South Central Region, the Orediggers only trail Regis, Angelo State and Texas A&M-Commerce. While Mines remains unranked in the AVCA Nationa Rankings, it's the NCAA Regional Rankings that determine which teams will advance to the NCAA postseason. The top eight teams in the final regional poll will advance to the NCAA South Central Regional tournament hosted by the #1 seed. If the season ended today, Regis would be hosting the first and second rounds with Mines facing off against UAFS. It should be noted that the Orediggers already defeated both Angelo State and UAFS earlier this season. The rest of the poll features UAFS at #5, West Texas A&M at #6, MSU Denver at #7, Dixie State at #8, Tarleton State at #9 and UT-Permian Basin at #10.
 
FUN COACH FACTS
Last week we learned how Coach Magalei was not only a top-notch volleyball player, but also an all-conference basketball player and state champion tennis player. However, she's not the only Skadeland with athletic acumen focused on volleyball. Magalei's younger sister Jenna Skadeland also played college volleyball. While it could stop there, the ties run deeper. The younger Skadeland spent her freshman year (2005) at North Dakota were Coach Magalei also played. Then, Jenna went back to Williston CC before ending up at Grand Canyon University. That is where the rubber meets the road. In 2009, Coach Magalei was in her second season as head coach at Mines and Skadeland was in her senior season at GCU. That year, the Orediggers and Antelopes faced off in the Oredigger Volleyball Classic. Mines would suffer its first loss of the season at the hands of GCU in four sets with the younger Skadeland playing middle and the elder Skadeland leading the Orediggers. Interestingly it was not the first meeting between the two siblings as coach and player. In 2005, North Dakota played Minnesota State – Mankato where Jamie was on staff while Jenna was a true freshman. And now you know.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After its trip to the Western Slope, Mines will close its regular season with a single match at UCCS on Friday, Nov. 15. Live stats and video of both 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. Fans can also follow Mines Volleyball on Twitter using the handle @MinesVolleyball.