Mines (10-9, 4-5 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (9-11, 5-5 RMAC) – Lockridge Arena – Thursday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Colorado Christian (9-11, 5-5 RMAC) vs. CSU Pueblo (10-10, 8-2 RMAC) – Lockridge Arena – Friday, 6 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (10-9, 4-5 RMAC) vs. CSU Pueblo (10-10, 8-2 RMAC) – Lockridge Arena – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOSTING THE POD
The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team will play at home this weekend after playing 12 of its last 15 matches on the road. They return to Lockridge Arena to host a RMAC Pod featuring Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo. None of the three matches will count towards the conference standings, but could help teams in contention for the NCAA postseason. Action starts Thursday at 7 p.m. with Mines hosting CCU. The Cougars face CSU Pueblo inside Lockridge Arena on Friday at 6 p.m. The pod concludes Saturday with a showdown between the Orediggers and ThunderWolves at 5 p.m.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print tickets at home ahead of this week's matches by going to www.minesathletics.com/tickets. This will expedite the entry process to Lockridge Arena. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children, seniors, and military members. Mines faculty, staff, and students get in free with their Blaster Card.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Free live video will be offered on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. In fact, all of Mines matches for the rest of the season will be available on the RMAC Network. There will also be free live stats this weekend at the individual links above.
 
FACULTY/STAFF APPRECIATION NIGHT
Thursday night will be Mines Faculty and Staff Appreciation night. The Orediggers will honor their staff and faculty before the match during starting lineups.
 
FREE STUFF!
In addition to Faculty and Staff Appreciation night, Mines volleyball will also be giving away free t-shirts to the first 100 Mines students through the doors. There will also be free cupcakes for the first 72 Mines students who arrive. During lineups, the team will be throwing rally towels into the stands.
 
LOOKING BACK
Last weekend, Mines faced CSU Pueblo in Pueblo, Colo., on Friday. The Orediggers then traveled to Alamosa, Colo., for a match at Adams State. Friday's result was a four-set loss to the ThunderWolves. Naomi Romslo notched 11 kills, Jada Price had 21 digs, Allison Jansen and Emily Knight tallied three blocks apiece, and Presley Powell dished out 42 assists. On Saturday, Mines bounced back with a 3-0 win over the Grizzlies. Rose Stuewe's 14 kills on .370 hitting led the offense. Renata Bolado Corona led the defense by way of 13 digs and three service aces. Powell notched 44 assists and six digs as well.
 
STUEWE KILLS TRACKER
Rose Stuewe surpassed 1,000 kills for her career during Mines' first road trip of the year which took the Orediggers to California and The Cougar Classic hosted by Cal State San Marcos. The milestone kill came against Concordia Irvine when she tied the third set at 19-19. Mines went on to win the match in four sets. Now, 19 matches into the season and nine into conference play, Stuewe touts 241 kills for the year and  1,165 for her career. As of Wednesday, the Texan needs just 101 kills to break onto Mines' all-time career list.
 
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Oredigger true freshman setter Presley Powell has established herself as one of the best in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference during her inaugural collegiate season. In the very first match of her post-prep career, the Texas native dished out 64 assists which tied for #7 in the Mines record book. Those 64 assists are also tied for the most in any NCAA Division II four-set match this season. Through 19 contests, Powell's 800 assists rank #33 in NCAA Division II and her average of 10.96 assists per set rank #13 in the division. Both those numbers also sit #2 in the RMAC.
 
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Orediggers have played four five-set matches during the 2023 so far. They boast a record of 3-1 in those contests. It marks the most five-set matches Mines has played during the regular season since 2019 which featured a quartet of five-set showdowns as well. The Orediggers were 1-3 when going the distance in 2019. Also notable are seven five-set matches for the Orediggers during the 2018 regular season. They dominated the marathon affairs with a mark of 5-2.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian may be hovering around the .500 mark with an overall record of 9-11 while sitting 5-5 in the RMAC, but the Cougars just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. Last Saturday, CCU hosted then-#9 Colorado Mesa in Lakewood and walked away with a 3-2 win. That gave Colorado Christian back-to-back wins for just the second time this season. For her efforts in that match, Krista Traynor was named RMAC Setter of the Week. Traynor only recently took over setting duties and has 119 assists at a clip of 9.92 assists per set. Renee Phillips and Libby Goodman lead the offense with 169 kills and 164 kills, respectively. Lilly Woods provides a stout block as evidenced by her 60 total blocks in 73 sets.
 
MINES AGAINST THE COUGARS
Thursday will mark the third time that the Orediggers have played CCU in 2023. Mines won the first two meetings in five sets. The first contest was in RMAC play at Lockridge Arena. The second meeting was part of another RMAC pod and did not count towards the conference standings. Overall, the Orediggers are 42-24 in the all-time series against Colorado Christian. They have won five straight and sit 8-2 over the last 10 matches. The Cougars last beat Mines on Oct. 26, 2019, in Lakewood. This season, against CCU alone, Rose Stuewe has totaled 41 kills while Shannon Perna has added 29 kills of her own. They have both hit over .400 while doing it.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
Like Colorado Christian, CSU Pueblo enters the weekend riding high. The ThunderWolves' latest action was a 3-1 win over then-#6 MSU Denver. It marked the Roadrunners' first RMAC loss since the spring of 2021 during the COVID-19 impacted season. Sadie Scoville fueled the upset with 20 kills. Kendall Harrington hammered down 17 kills as well. For the season, Scoville has 213 kills and Harrington touts 198 kills. Payton Van Veen is the team's offensive leader in 2023 with 226 kills on .271 hitting. The Pack's service game is led by Grace Jansen's 36 service aces along with Scoville's 29 aces. Also notable for Scoville are a team-high 237 digs. At the net, Golden Finch boasts 57.0 blocks.
 
MINES AGAINST THE THUNDERWOLVES
The Orediggers just played CSU Pueblo last Friday and suffered a four-set loss. That moved Mines to 34-43 in the volleyball rivalry with the ThunderWolves. Naomi Romslo and Madison Glassco combined for 21 kills in that match. Presley Powell had 42 assists, and Jada Price had 21 digs. Over the last 10 meetings between the Orediggers and The Pack, Mines leads 8-2. Part of that run includes a 10-match win streak from 2012-19. Potentially notable is that the Orediggers have not lost to CSU Pueblo in Golden since 1991.
 
SHE'S THE BOSS
Head Coach Jamie Magalei is in her 16th season leading the Mines volleyball program in 2023. She is easily the program's all-time leader in total wins and win percentage at 349-118 (.747). As of Aug. 30, 2023, her winning percentage ranked inside the top-20 among active coaches in NCAA Division II, and her total wins were top-50 in the same category. Additionally, her current winning percentage is top-25 all-time in DII. Magalei surpassed 300 career wins in 2021. She's one of six to reach the milestone while coaching in the RMAC. Through 2022, Magalei has coached 31 all-America selections, three Academic All-Americans, and 63 all-conference performers. Her resume also includes three Regional Players of the Year, two Regional Freshmen of the Year, and 16 RMAC major award winners. Magalei has guided Mines to six RMAC regular-season championships, and five RMAC Tournament titles with 13 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. The North Dakota native also guided the Orediggers to either a conference regular-season or tournament title every season from 2012-21 including a sweep of both in 2015.
 
UP NEXT
Mines continues its home stand next weekend, hosting #13 Regis on Friday with UCCS coming to town on Saturday. Tickets can be purchased online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets. There will also be live stats and free video on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv.
 
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.