#10 Mines (21-3, 14-2 RMAC) at Black Hills State (7-17, 4-12 RMAC) – Friday, 7 p.m. – Spearfish, S.D. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#10 Mines (21-3, 14-2 RMAC) at South Dakota Mines (11-13, 5-11 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Rapid City, S.D. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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REGULAR SEASON FINALES
It's the final weekend of the regular season for the #10-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team as the Orediggers head to South Dakota for a pair of RMAC matches. Mines faces off against Black Hills State on Friday at 7 p.m. before going to Rapid City, S.D., and taking on South Dakota Mines at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Orediggers have already clinched a top-four seed in the RMAC Tournament which secures a home match in the quarterfinals. They are now looking to lock in the #2 seed with a pair of wins. Final seeding for the tournament will be announced following Saturday's finale.
 
FAN INFORMATION
Black Hills State requires all unvaccinated fans to wear a mask as per CDC guidelines. All fans planning to attend either match this weekend are strongly encouraged to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All RMAC matches, regular season or tournament, will be streamed live and for free on the RMAC Network.
 
REMEMBERING SENIOR WEEKEND
Colorado School of Mines volleyball celebrated its parents, alumni and seniors last weekend with a pair of conference matches inside Lockridge Arena. Friday was Parents' Night sponsored by Pierogies Factory and The Mac & Cheezary. The Orediggers celebrated their guardians with a sweep of Westminster in which three different individuals hammered down nine kills apiece while Elle Duis racked up 17 digs. Saturday was Alumni Night and Senior Night, and Mines honored both with an impressive sweep of Colorado Mesa. The victory snapped CMU's 10-match win streak as Rose Stuewe produced 12 kills, and the Orediggers hit .406 as a team.
 
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State enters the weekend on a two-match skid with five straight losses right before that. The Yellow Jackets' most recent action was a pair of 3-0 losses at the hands of UCCS and CSU Pueblo. At 7-17 overall and 4-12 in the RMAC, the Yellow Jackets would need a series of highly unlikely events in order to claim the final slot in the conference tournament which includes, but is not limited to, winning both matches this weekend while Fort Lewis goes 0-2 with four other teams dropping at least one of their matches. Despite BHSU's dower situation, Madison Hoopman still boasts an impressive 289 kills at 3.11 kills per set while hitting .205. No other individual has more than 200 kills on the season. Also notable are Haedyn Rhoades' 396 digs. As a team, Black Hills State hits .152 while letting the opposition average .202 on the attack.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
As stated when South Dakota Mines and Colorado School of Mines first played, the Hardrockers put together an impressive start to the season at 6-2 including a 3-1 win over then #19 Northern State. Then, SDM cooled off – like frigid. The Hardrockers opened conference play with three straight losses and now sit 5-11 in the RMAC with an 11-13 mark overall. South Dakota Mines' prospects for a RMAC Tournament bid are slightly better than BHSU, but the Hardrockers are currently on the outside looking in. They will look to Jacey Koethe this weekend as she boasts 198 kills on .264 hitting. Both those numbers are tops on the team. South Dakota Mines also runs a two-setter system with a combined 8.80 assists per set between the duo. Koethe also has 76 blocks in 84 sets. As a team, SDM hits just .158 but has also held its opposition under .200 on the attack as well.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Colorado School of Mines played both Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines earlier this season. The Orediggers earned a 3-1 win over the Hardrockers and swept the Yellow Jackets. Those victories improved Colorado School of Mines to 12-1 in the all-time series against BHSU and 7-4 all-time versus SDM. The Orediggers haven't lost to Black Hills State since 1992. That makes for a 12-match win streak including nine sweeps. In the battle of the Mines, South Dakota snagged a five-set win in Golden in 2019. With that, the Orediggers are 7-1 over the last eight meetings and 7-3 in the last 10 with the Hardrockers.
 
MAGALEI VS. THE OPPOSITION
Oredigger Head Coach Jamie Magalei has never lost to Black Hills State in her career as head lady, making her 12-0 when playing the Yellow Jackets. Against South Dakota Mines, Magalei owns a career record of 7-1. That makes the Orediggers' skipper a combined 19-1 against this weekend's opponents.
 
RMAC UPDATE
The top half of the bracket for the RMAC tournament has gained significant clarity. MSU Denver, Mines and Regis have all locked in a top-four seed for the conference postseason which means they play at home in the first round. Colorado Mesa controls its own destiny for the last slot in the top four while CSU Pueblo is currently fifth, but just one win out of the top half. It should also be noted that MSU Denver has all but clinched the RMAC title and the #1 seed for the tournament at 16-0 in the league. However, the bottom half of the bracket is far more blurry. Western Colorado has clinched a spot, but the seeding is still up in the air. Colorado Christian, Fort Lewis, South Dakota Mines, Adams State, UCCS, New Mexico Highlands and Black Hills State are all still in competition for the final two berths. Chadron State and Westminster have been mathematically eliminated from advancing.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
Mines improved to #10 in this week's national poll put out by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association. However, as stated in previous articles, it's the NCAA Regional Rankings that determine who advances to the national postseason. The Orediggers held their spot at #2 in the latest regional rankings. MSU Denver stayed #1 while Angelo State, Regis, UT Tyler, Colorado Mesa, Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M rounded out the top eight in order. If the season ended today, Mines would face Lubbock Christian at MSU Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
FUN FACT OF THE WEEK
As fall campaigns enter the postseason and winter sports begin their championship season, Mines boasts an overall record of 56-12-5 in traditional, head-to-head competition. The Orediggers did not hit double-digit losses until last Wednesday. In conference play, Mines touts a combined record of 39-5-2 including two conference titles thus far in men's cross country and men's soccer. All 11 Oredigger varsity teams are nationally ranked with men's cross country leading the way at #1 in the nation. To cap it all off, Mines has claimed 26 RMAC Player of the Week honors and 24 total All-RMAC awards including 13 First-Team All-RMAC performers. It's been said before and it'll be stated again, not too bad for a bunch of nerds.
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers open the 2021 RMAC Volleyball Tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. Mines' opponent will be announced following the conclusion of the regular season and finalization of the tournament bracket. Tickets will be available online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets, or at the door. Pass lists are not offered for the conference tournament. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be offered at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on Twitter at @MinesVolleyball and on Instagram at @mines.volleyball. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.