#21 Mines (12-4, 7-1 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (10-7, 5-3 RMAC) – Volk Gymnasium – Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#21 Mines (12-4, 7-1 RMAC) vs. #2 MSU Denver (15-1, 8-0 RMAC) – Volk Gymnasium – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOMECOMING WEEKEND
It's Colorado School of Mines Homecoming 2022 and the #21-ranked Oredigger volleyball team is ready to help celebrate. They'll host Colorado Christian on Friday at 7 p.m. with #2-ranked MSU Denver coming to Golden on Saturday at 5 p.m. Due to other homecoming festivities including the Mines Athletics Auction & Hall of Fame Banquet, both matches will be played in historic Volk Gymnasium located at the corner of Illinois Street and 14th street.
 
IMPORTANT FAN INFORMATION
With this weekend's matches being played at a location different than Lockridge Arena, here is some information fans might find helpful. For driving directions, use 1350 Illinois Street, Golden, CO 80401. Fans should enter the building through the main entrance located on the top (third floor) along Illinois Street. The best option for parking is the parking garage located east of Volk Gym on Maple Street. Parking is free after 5 p.m. on Friday and all day on Saturday. Volleyball fans should note that Mines football will be playing at home on Saturday starting at noon.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend and all remaining matches for Oredigger volleyball in 2022 will stream live and for free on the RMAC Network which can be accessed at minesathletics.com/tv as well as with apps on all major smart TV platforms by searching RMAC. Live statistics are also available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
LAST WEEK REWIND
Mines went on the road last weekend and earned two more wins which extended its win streak to seven. The Orediggers defeated Adams State in four sets on Friday in Alamosa, Colo. Rose Stuewe had 18 kills, Shannon Perna turned in a 12-kill, 12-dig double-double and Elle Duis racked up 17 digs. Saturday saw Mines sweep New Mexico Highlands in Las Vegas, N.M. Perna led all players with 13 kills, Drew Stokes produced a 42-assist, 11-dig double-double, and three other players had double-digit digs. Saturday marked the Orediggers' sixth sweep of the season.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
The Cougars of Colorado Christian make the short trip from Lakewood, Colo., with a 10-7 record in tow. At 5-3 in the RMAC, they are tied for #6 in the conference standings. Colorado Christian started the season in a hole after getting swept three times at the Oredigger Classic by UT Tyler, then-#22 Southwest Minnesota State and Colorado Mesa. They bounced back for a big five-set win against Angelo State. Later, in RMAC play, CCU swept UCCS, Westminster and Black Hills State as well. Most recently, the Cougars dropped a five-set heartbreaker to South Dakota Mines at the CCU Event Center. As a team, Colorado Christian hits .240 while holding the opposition to a .194 attack percentage. Individually, Libby Goodman is the offensive weapon to watch. Her 234 kills at 3.90 kills per set rank #1 in the RMAC and she hits .296. Izzy Jones ranks among the best setters in the RMAC with 595 assists at 9.92 assists per set. Madelyn Long leads the back row with 196 digs. Lilly Woods boasts 51 blocks in 60 sets.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE COUGARS
Mines owns a 39-24 lead in the all-time series with Colorado Christian after winning the last two meetings between the teams. The Orediggers put together a 16-match winning streak from 2003-11 and are 7-3 in the last 10 matchups. Mines and CCU last met on Oct. 15, 2021, in Lakewood. The Orediggers swept the Cougars thanks to Taylor Hicken's 14 kills on .667 hitting along with six service aces and two blocks. Mines last loss to Colorado Christian came on Oct. 26, 2019, also in Lakewood. The Cougars won in five sets even though Abby Tiesman had 16 kills and Elle Duis put up 24 digs. Even though CCU has come to the Oredigger Volleyball Classic in 2021 and 2022, the Cougars have not played Mines in Golden since Sept. 20, 2019 – over three years ago. Pending a postseason matchup in 2022, Colorado Christian will go at least four years before facing the Orediggers inside Lockridge Arena.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
MSU Denver starts its weekend by traveling to Nebraska for a match at Chadron State on Friday. There, the Roadrunners will put their #2 national ranking and nine-match win streak on the line before coming back to Golden on Saturday. The disjointed road trip begins with MSU Denver touting a 15-1 record, tied for #1 in the RMAC at 8-0 while boasting the 13th-longest active winning streak in NCAA Division II. The team's 2.60 blocks per set rank #3 in the nation, their .287 hitting percentage ranks #7 in the nation, their winning percentage ranks #8 in the nation and their opponent hitting percentage of .115 ranks #9 in the nation. Individually, Rylee Hladky is the defending RMAC Player of the Year and leads the Roadrunners again with 186 kills at 3.58 kills per set and .275 hitting. Right behind is Riley Anderson boasting 133 kills (3.09 per set) on .294 hitting. MSU Denver's two setters are Amela Qershia and Delaney Eckhardt. Ashlyn Cianciulli is one of the best liberos in the RMAC as evidenced by her 229 digs. Ember Canty anchors the Roadrunners' impressive block with 56 total blocks at a clip of 1.10 per set. Mikayla McClinton is also over 1.00 blocks per set thanks to 49 on the season.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE ROADRUNNERS
The all-time series between Mines and MSU Denver is the long rivalry in Oredigger history in terms of number of matches played. The Roadrunners and Orediggers have met 86 times prior to Saturday's showdown. MSU Denver leads the series by a 65-21 margin, but Mines has won five of the last seven and six of the last 10 meetings. The last time the Orediggers and Roadrunners faced off was the 2021 RMAC Tournament Championship match. Mines was ranked #10 and MSU Denver was the #1 team in the nation. The Orediggers toppled the Roadrunners in five sets to hoist the RMAC cup. It marked Mines' first win over a #1-ranked team in program history. Standing above numerous highlights from the match was Megan Neil coming off the bench to knock down 12 kills with zero errors on 24 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage while notching one dig, one block, one service ace and one assist. Drew Stokes had 50 assists , three aces, and 16 digs. Elle Duis put up 28 digs. Mines and MSU Denver also went five sets during the regular season in 2021 as well. The Roadrunners won that meeting on their home court. Similar to Colorado Christian, MSU Denver has not played Mines in Golden since Nov. 2, 2019 – just under three years ago. Also like the Cougars, the Roadrunners could go four years or more without facing the Orediggers inside Lockridge Arena.
 
ABOUT VOLK GYM
The building that is known as Volk Gymnasium, or Volk Gym, was finished in 1959 and eventually renamed in 1974 for Colorado School of Mines alum, board of trustees member, president of the alumni association and 1924 Olympian Russell (Rut) H. Volk. It served as the primary home for Mines athletics from that time until Lockridge Arena and the Student Recreation Center (SRC) were opened in 2007. At that point, Oredigger basketball, volleyball and swimming made Lockridge Arena their new home. Volk Gym still serves as the home to Mines wrestling, Oredigger athletics administration, numerous coaches offices, and a weight room among other things. The setting inside the actual gym is intimate and loud with wooden, pullout bleachers and low-hanging ceilings.
 
LAST TIME IN VOLK
Even though Lockridge Arena is the permanent home for Mines volleyball, the Orediggers are known to come back to Volk Gym periodically for regular season action, mostly during Mines Homecoming Weekend. The last time Oredigger volleyball hosted teams at Volk Gym was Oct. 18-19, 2019, as part of homecoming weekend. Mines faced CSU Pueblo on Friday and swept the ThunderWolves behind Rose Stuewe's 13 kills on .571 hitting. The Orediggers finished the weekend by sweeping New Mexico Highlands on Saturday as Amanda Donais and Taylor Hicken had identical lines of 11 kills on .455 hitting.
 
COUNTDOWN TO #1
According to the numbers and probabilities, this weekend will be when Drew Stokes surpasses Danielle Johnson-Hazlewood as Mines' all-time assists leader. Stokes enters Friday match against Colorado Christian standing at 5,324 career assists. She needs 51 to tie Johnson-Hazlewood's record at 5,375 and 52 to break the record. So far this season, Stokes is averaging 12.28 assists per set. She has produced at least 35 assists in 15 of 16 matches, gone over 45 assists on six occasions and pumped out 65 assists once. Odds project Stokes to become the new record holder on Saturday against #2 MSU Denver, but it's not out of the realm of possibility for her to accomplish the feat on Friday against CCU.
 
MORE ON STOKES
While Drew Stokes' standing and accomplishments have been well documented, it never hurts to provide an update. With 16 matches played and 10 to go, Stokes boasts exactly 700 assists with an average of 12.28 assists per set. Both those numbers rank #1 in the RMAC by a hefty margin, and her assists per set rank #2 in NCAA Division II. Additionally, the Illinois native's total assists this season rank #11 in DII. Among active career leaders across all three divisions of the NCAA, Stokes ranks #2 in assists per set (11.91) and #3 in total assists. In that same category, but in NCAA Division II, the Murphysboro High School product is #1 in total assists and #2 in assists per set. Also notable is Stokes' service game. She boasts 121 service aces in her career. That ranks #5 on Mines' all-time list, just four back of Katie Streicher (1995-98) at #4.
 
JACKIE FACTS
In case you hadn't heard, this weekend is when Colorado School of Mines Volleyball legend Jackie Stabell will be inducted into the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class. The ceremony will take place on Saturday evening. Fans can read her entire Hall of Fame profile HERE. This section now exists to provide a little extra that readers might not find in the general biography. Fun facts, if you will. For example, during Jackie's career at Mines, the volleyball team totaled 459 sets. She played in 455 of those sets. That's right, Jackie only missed four total sets in her career and all four came her freshman year, which means she played every single set of every match as a sophomore, junior, and senior. Moving on from that. Jackie's 29 kills at #4-ranked Nebraska-Kearney also carry a lot of weight. That tied a program record set in 1996 which was tied in 1999 and has not been touched since Jackie tied it on Nov. 17, 2011. The closest to come to the single-match kills record were Melanie Wannamaker and Alanna Winfield in 2013. Furthermore, those 29 kills fueled Mines' first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament and the Orediggers did it as the #8 seed against the hosting #1 seed. She finished the match hitting .471 on the outside with just five errors on 51 attempts. She added 14 digs and three service aces as well. In all honesty, this section could go on forever, but the author felt it necessary to recognize Stabell on her weekend as much as possible.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Jamie Magalei is in her 15th season leading the Mines volleyball program in 2022. She is easily the program's all-time leader in total wins and win percentage at 330-106 (.756). Her winning percentage going into the season ranked #15 among active NCAA Division II head coaches with a minimum of five years at a DII program. Her 318 wins at the start of 2022 put her #47 in terms of total wins among active DII coaches. Magalei's win total also ranks second among active RMAC coaches. Last season, Magalei became only the sixth head volleyball coach to earn 300 wins while coaching in the RMAC. Through 2021, Magalei has guided Mines to six RMAC regular-season titles and five RMAC Tournament trophies with 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Magalei has led the Orediggers to either a RMAC regular-season or tournament title every season since 2012 including a sweep of both in 2015.
 
UP NEXT
Mines stays in Golden but returns to Lockridge Arena next week for a match against Chadron State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. with #16 Regis coming to town Friday at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets. Live coverage will also 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.