#15 Mines (5-3, 0-0 RMAC) at #23 Regis (4-4, 0-0 RMAC) – Wednesday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#15 Mines (5-3, 0-0 RMAC) vs. Westminster (2-6, 0-0 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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RMAC PLAY BEGINS
This Wednesday and Saturday mark the start of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play for the #15 Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team. The Orediggers start conference play on the road at #23 Regis on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Mines' RMAC home opener will be Saturday against Westminster at 5 p.m., right after the home opener for the Oredigger football team.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All remaining matches for Oredigger volleyball 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.
 
ROAD TRIP RECAP
Mines closed its non-conference slate last weekend with a trip to the Hillsdale Charger "Net Results" Invitational at Hillsdale College in Michigan. The Orediggers finished the invite 2-2 with four-set losses to Missouri S&T and Ferris State on Friday followed by four set wins against #17 Gannon and #22 Hillsdale on Saturday. For her efforts, Mines setter Drew Stokes earned all-tournament honors. Stokes posted 65 assists against Hillsdale which ranks tied for #5 on the program's all-time, single-match assists list. Also notable were 87 digs and seven service aces from Elle Duis along with 58 kills off the hand of Megan Neil.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
The Regis Rangers started the season outside the national top-25 and stayed outside the top-25 after going 1-3 at the Western Washington Invitational during week one. However, RU debuted on the AVCA's national list in week two after a 3-1 weekend at the Colorado Premier Challenge which included wins over #11 Central Missouri, #5 West Florida and #10 Northwest Missouri State. After eight matches, the Rangers rank #24 in the nation in team kills and #32 in team assists. Amelia Davis is the defending RMAC Offensive Player of the Week and is averaging 3.44 kills per set on .368 hitting thus far. Davis also boasts 34 blocks. Mara LeGrand is the setter and currently sits at 9.19 assists per set. Haley Kennedy anchors the back row. She owns 141 digs in 32 sets and just surpassed 1,000 digs for her career.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
After going 5-23 in the fall of 2021, Westminster has started the 2022 campaign with a record of 2-6. The Griffins play at Colorado Mesa on Friday before coming to Golden on Saturday. Their two wins from non-conference play include a four-setter over Southwest Baptist in Oklahoma City followed by another four-set win against Adelphi at the St. Martins Preseason Tournament in Lacey, Wash. Individual leaders for Westminster include Lydia Parkinson (Miller) with 75 kills, Leila Cornejo touting 207 assists, Alanna Lee who owns 74 digs and Malinda Messner with 18 blocks.
 
MINES AGAINST THE RANGERS
Mines and Regis have played each other 76 times in the history of the two programs. The Orediggers trail the all-time series by a 26-49-1 margin. Mines last faced the Rangers on Oct. 23, 2021, inside Regis Field House. The final result was a five-set win for RU. The Orediggers' last win against Regis was Sept. 16, 2021, in a four-set victory in Golden. When measuring number of matches played, the rivalry between Mines and RU is the second-longest in the history of Oredigger volleyball.
 
MINES AGAINST THE GRIFFINS
Saturday will be the ninth-ever meeting on the volleyball court between Mines and Westminster. Going into the matchup, the Orediggers own an 8-0 record over the Griffins including four sweeps and one five-set thriller. The last meeting between Mines and WC was Nov. 5, 2021, in Golden. The home team won in straight sets. Prior to that meeting in Golden, three straight showdowns were played in Salt Lake City.
 
RMAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Elle Duis earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after her outstanding performances over the weekend at Hillsdale. Duis' weekend resume included 87 digs, 17 assists and seven service aces. Her performance in the back row led to an average of 5.44 digs per set. The Texan started her weekend with 10 digs and one service ace against Missouri S&T. She upped her numbers to 19 digs and one service ace versus Ferris State. Saturday provided the biggest highlights for Duis as she pumped out 26 digs and two aces against #17 Gannon, followed by 32 digs and three aces in a four-set win against the hosts #22 Hillsdale. Her 32 digs are the eighth-most in a single match in program history.
 
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 323-105 (.754). 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. 
 
CHASING #1
Oredigger graduate students Drew Stokes and Elle Duis continue to chase Mines volleyball history and climb the rankings in the program record book. With eight matches in the books, Duis touts 1,928 career digs and sits just five digs away from #1 on Mines' all-time list. She also owns 104 service aces which ranks #7 in the record book, just six shy of Sarah Pekarek who touts 110 at #6. Stokes' 4,980 career assists rank #2 in program history. She needs just 395 more helpers to tie Danielle Johnson-Hazlewood's all-time mark of 5,375. Stokes also appears on the service ace list thanks to 114 in her career. That puts the Illinois native alone at #5. She needs 11 more to tie Katie Streicher at #4.
 
NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
As a team, the Orediggers are #2 in NCAA Division II in both assists per set and kills per set. Mines also ranks #7 in DII in total assists and #9 in total kills. Individually, Drew Stokes is #2 in the nation in assists per set and #5 in total assists. Elle Duis climbed to #26 in DII in total digs and #39 in digs per set. Among active career leaders across all divisions of the NCAA, Stokes ranks #2 in assists per set and #3 in total assists. Within DII, Stokes is #1 in both those categories. Also within DII, Duis ranks #2 among active career leaders in total digs. Nicole Murff of Texas A&M-Kingsville is the only player with more at 2,029.
 
IN THE POLLS
The second regular-season edition of the American Volleyball Coaches' Association's NCAA Division II national rankings moved Mines from #14 to #15 in the nation. It followed the Orediggers' 2-2 weekend in Michigan which included two wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Mines remains the second-ranked team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as MSU Denver maintained its standing at #4. Fellow RMAC members Colorado Mesa and Regis sit #21 and #23, respectively. 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
After the RMAC openers, Mines heads to north to face South Dakota Mines Sept. 16 and Black Hills State Sept. 17. 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.