Sept. 2-3 – Hillsdale Charger "Net Results" Invitational – Hillsdale, Mich. – Tournament Central
#14 Mines (3-1) vs. Missouri S&T (4-0) – Friday, 10 a.m. (ET) [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#14 Mines (3-1) vs. Ferris State (0-4) – Friday, 4 p.m. (ET) [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#14 Mines (3-1) vs. #17 Gannon (3-0) – Saturday, 12 p.m. (ET) [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#14 Mines (3-1) at #22 Hillsdale (3-1) – Saturday, 4 p.m. (ET) [Live Stats] [Live Video]

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MITTEN MANIA
The #14 Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team is headed to Michigan this weekend for four matches at the Hillsdale Charger "Net Results" Invitational, hosted by Hillsdale in Hillsdale. Mines' slate includes Missouri S&T and Ferris State on Friday followed by #17 Gannon and #22 Hillsdale on Saturday. Match times are 10 a.m. (ET), 4 p.m. (ET), 12 p.m. (ET) and 4 p.m. (ET), respectively.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All four matches will have live stats and live video linked above. The match against Hillsdale will feature play-by-play commentary.
 
LAST WEEKEND
Mines opened the 2022 season last Friday and Saturday by hosting the 17th annual Oredigger Volleyball Classic presented by Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott. Mines finished the weekend 3-1. Opening day on Friday included sweeps of Western Colorado and Northern State (S.D.). Saturday featured a four-set loss to then #22 Southwest Minnesota State and a sweep of then #19 UT Tyler. Shannon Perna, Drew Stokes and Elle Duis each earned a spot on the all-tournament team. The Orediggers combined to hit .328 while racking up 28 service aces and 19 blocks across 13 sets.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Hillsdale Charger "Net Results" Invitational features a field of five teams including the Orediggers. Mines' opponents include the Missouri S&T Miners, the Ferris State Bulldogs, the Gannon Golden Knights, and the Hillsdale Chargers. Missouri S&T started its season 4-0 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tournament which helped the Miners receive votes in the week-one edition of the AVCA national rankings. Ferris State fell out of the rankings after an 0-4 start at the Western Washington Invitational. The Bulldogs were previously #20 in the preseason rankings. Gannon put together a 3-0 start at the Gannon-Mercyhurst Invitational in Michigan. That improved the Golden Knights' ranking from #18 to #17. Hosting Hillsdale went 3-1 at the Rockhurst Invitational in Kansas City, Mo. The Chargers' lone loss dropped them from #16 to #22. Also worth mentioning are the 2021 NCAA tournament runs from Ferris State, Gannon and Hillsdale. The Bulldogs advanced to the 2021 NCAA Regional Final where they lost to Hillsdale. The Chargers went all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight where they lost to Gannon. The Golden Knights fell in the national semifinal to eventual national champion Tampa.
 
SERIES HISTORIES
Mines has faced its four opponents this weekend a combined three times. The Orediggers are 1-0 against Missouri S&T thanks to a 3-0 win in Golden on Sept. 1, 2007. Ferris State owns its all-time series with Mines at 1-0 following a sweep of the Orediggers on Aug. 25, 2007, in Big Rapids, Mich. Mines has never played Gannon in volleyball, but the Oredigger do hold a 1-0 lead against Hillsdale after sweeping the Chargers on Sept. 7, 2013, in St. Paul, Minn. In total, Mines holds a 2-1 record against this weekend's opposition.
 
NASTY NON-CONFERENCE
The Orediggers' non-conference schedule for the 2022 season features a gauntlet of preseason nationally-ranked teams and NCAA-qualifiers from the 2021 campaign. They started with Northern State at the Oredigger Classic with the Wolves receiving votes in the AVCA's preseason national poll. Saturday at Lockridge Arena featured #22-ranked Southwest Minnesota State and #19-ranked UT Tyler, the latter of which appeared in the 2021 NCAA tournament. Mines' trip to the Hillsdale Charger "Net Results" Invitational in Michigan features #17 Gannon and #22 Hillsdale with Missouri S&T receiving votes in the latest poll.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Jamie Magalei enters 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 321-103 (.757). That winning percentage also ranks #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. Squires and Fleming are the only active coaches in that group. 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. 
 
RMAC SETTER OF THE WEEK
Oredigger graduate student Drew Stokes earned the first RMAC Setter of the Week award of 2022. She earned the honor thanks to a Oredigger Classic resume featuring 164 assists at a clip of 12.62 assists per set along with 21 digs, 13 kills, three service aces and two blocks while posting a .480 hitting percentage. Stokes currently ranks #1 in the RMAC in assists per set and #2 in total assists while sitting #3 in the nation in assists per set. The Murphysboro, Ill., native touts 19 RMAC Setter of the Week awards in her career.
 
SHANNON PERNA
Mines junior opposite garners her own section in the preview following a breakout weekend at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic. In four matches, Perna produced 44 kills at a clip of 3.38 kills per set while hitting .450 with 10 service aces, 22 digs and 10 total blocks. Her performance put her top-three in the RMAC in hitting percentage, kills per set, service aces, service aces per set, total points and points per set. The New York natives service production ranks #1 in the conference. Nationally, Perna is #29 in aces per set, #30 in total aces and #24 in hitting percentage. In the weekend finale against #19 UT Tyler, she hit .682 thanks to 15 kills on 22 attempts with zero errors which ranks #3 in the program record book in single-match hitting performances with at 20 attempts or more.
 
OREDIGGER DEBUTS
Opening weekend also saw a slew of collegiate debuts. Appearing in a match in a Mines uniform for the first time were Meghan Slaninka, Hailey Aigner, Morgan McChesney, Jada Price, Madison Glassco and Veronique Magnan. Most notable in their combined performances was a total of 12 service aces between the six Orediggers. Slaninka led the group with seven while McChesney and Aigner had two apiece as Magnan chipped in one.
 
CHASING HISTORY
Oredigger graduate students Drew Stokes and Elle Duis continue to chase Mines volleyball history and climb the rankings in the program record book. With four matches in the books, Duis touts 1,841 career digs and sits 47 away from #3 on Mines' all-time list. She also owns 97 service aces which ranks #8 in the record book, just one shy of Jackie Stabell who touts 98 at #7. Stokes' 4,788 career assists rank #2 in program history. She needs just 587 more helpers to tie Danielle Johnson-Hazlewood's all-time mark of 5,375. Stokes also appears on the service ace list thanks to 110 in her career. That puts the Illinois native tied at #5. She needs 15 more to tied Katie Streicher at #4.
 
TIES TO S&T
Even though Mines has only played Missouri S&T one time in the program's history, the Orediggers do hold a level of familiarity with the school in Rolla. Mines Assistant Coach Heather Roberts spent the 2007 season as an assistant coach with the Miners volleyball team. That stop directly preceded her arrival in Golden where she has worked ever since 2008.
 
LEADING THE WAY
The Orediggers currently rank #1 as a team in NCAA Division II in assists per set thanks to an average of 14.77. Mines also ranks #2 in the country in kills per set and #5 in hitting percentage. Last season, the Orediggers won the statistical championship for hitting percentage thanks to an average of .313.
 
IN THE POLLS
The first regular-season edition of the American Volleyball Coaches' Association's NCAA Division II national rankings moved Mines from #11 to #14 in the nation. It followed the Orediggers' 3-1 weekend at their own tournament. Despite the three-spot drop, Mines remains the second-ranked team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as MSU Denver maintained its standing at #4. Fellow RMAC member and Oredigger Classic participant Colorado Mesa jumped into the national ranking at #24. CSU Pueblo also received votes.
 
STANDING IN THE HALL OF FAME
On October 8, as part of Colorado School of Mines Homecoming Weekend, Oredigger volleyball alum Jackie Stabell will be inducted into the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class at the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet and Auction. Stabell played for the Orediggers from 2009-12 as became the first all-American in Mines Volleyball's decorated history. A two-time all-American, Stabell was a member of four NCAA Tournament-qualifying teams and paced the Orediggers to the first of what would become four consecutive RMAC regular-season championships in 2012. The 2012 RMAC Player of the Year set records along the way from her outside hitter position, establishing herself as the program's all-time kills leader over her four-year career. Her full bio can be found HERE. Mines Athletics Auction & Hall of Fame Dinner is set for the night of October 8 with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found at www.minesathletics.com/auction.
 
UP NEXT
Mines opens conference play on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Regis. First serve is set for 5 p.m. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be linked 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.