Mines (5-3, 0-0 RMAC) vs. Chadron State (4-3, 0-0 RMAC) – Lockridge Arena – Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network] [Tickets]
Mines (5-3, 0-0 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (4-4, 0-0 RMAC) – Lockridge Arena – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network] [Tickets]

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CONFERENCE PLAY TO COMMENCE
Volleyball league play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference begins this week. For Colorado School of Mines, RMAC action starts at home with Chadron State in Golden on Friday, and Colorado Christian coming over from Lakewood on Saturday. The Friday match starts at 7 p.m. with Saturday's first serve at 5 p.m., right after Mines football opens its conference slate at Marv Kay Stadium.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print tickets at home ahead of this weekend'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
If you can't make it to Lockridge Arena, you can still keep up with every point of each match. 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 https://minesathletics.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary.
 
STRONGER TOGETHER
This weekend, at all Oredigger home contests, the Mines Athletics Department and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be holding a Cancer Awareness Weekend. The goal for the weekend is to raise awareness and money for the research, support, and recovery of all types of cancer. Each venue and event will have the opportunity to make a donation. Mines Athletics and Mines SAAC thank fans for considering a gift to support this cause. Specific to volleyball, Friday's match will include free, peach-colored wristbands with the phrase, "Stronger Together," to help raise awareness.
 
FREE CHEESEBURGERS FOR MINES STUDENTS
Friday is also National Cheeseburger Day. To celebrate, the first 100 Mines students to arrive at Lockridge Arena for the 7 p.m. match against Chadron State will receive a free cheeseburger courtesy of 5280 Burger Bar. There will also be prize giveaways and contests during the match.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The last time Mines volleyball was in action was last weekend at The Cougar Classic hosted by Cal State San Marcos in California. The Orediggers finished the weekend with three wins compared to one loss. They started their West Coast swing by sweeping a regional foe in St. Edward's. Rose Stuewe led that effort with 10 kills on .320 hitting. Renata Bolado Corona stacked up three service aces as well. Mines closed its Saturday slate with a four-set win against Concordia Irvine. Stuewe stacked up 18 kills to lead the team again. Madison Glassco added 15 kills on .500 hitting. Also notable were 47 assists from Presley Powell. Saturday brought split results for Mines with a straight-set loss at the hands of Seattle Pacific. The Orediggers finished the trip by taking a five-set thriller from the host Cal State San Marcos. Notable in that match was a 10-kill, 22-dig double-double by Glassco. Jada Price also racked up 22 digs.
 
COUGAR CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT
Five Orediggers were named to The Cougar Classic All-Tournament team. Rose Stuewe, Presley Powell, and Jada Price earned all-tournament distinction for a second straight week. Madison Glassco and Naomi Romslo earned the first such honors of their respective careers. Stuewe's weekend resume included 50 kills and 3.33 kills per set. She also had 10 digs and five total blocks. Powell averaged 9.53 assists per set and had a double-double as well. Price's performance at libero resulted in 56 digs, and she had three service aces. Glassco's aforementioned double-double helped her put up 37 kills with 43 digs, two service aces and two total blocks. Romslo had a breakout weekend as a true freshman as she came off the bench and knocked down 21 kills on .378 hitting with four digs, three total blocks, and one service ace.
 
STUEWE JOINS THE 1K CLUB
Rose Stuewe had a milestone weekend in California as she surpassed 1,000 kills for her career. The monumental kill came against Concordia Irvine when she tied the third set at 19-19. Mines went on to win the match in four sets. Stuewe's 50 kills for the weekend put her at 100 on the season and up to 1,024 for her career. The Texas native is now 242 kills away from entering Mines' top-10 list for career kills.
 
PRESLEY POWELL
After just eight collegiate matches, Mines' true freshman setter Presley Powell has made her impact felt on a national level. She's currently #13 in all of NCAA Division II in assists per set and ranks #14 in DII in total assists. That makes her the highest-ranked freshman setter in all of NCAA Division II. The next-closest freshman in the rankings sits #34 in the nation in assists per set. So far this season, Powell touts 312 total assists at 10.76 assists per set along with 67 digs, 10 service aces, seven total blocks and six kills.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
For a second straight week, Mines continued receiving votes in the national polls. They had started the season at #22 before dropping out after a 2-2 opening weekend. The latest rankings saw Concordia-St. Paul take over the #1 spot from defending champion West Texas A&M. MSU Denver dropped from #6 to #9. Colorado Mesa rose from #14 to #12. Regis also climbed in the rankings, going from #19 to #16.
 
RMAC PRESEASON POLL
With the start of RMAC play upon us, it seems like a good time to remind fans of the coaches' predictions for the league. The 2023 RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll saw Mines appear at #4. MSU Denver was picked to repeat as conference champions. Regis checked in at #2 with one first-place vote. Colorado Mesa was #3. CSU Pueblo, Colorado Christian, UCCS, and South Dakota Mines rounded out the projected eight-team field for the RMAC Tournament.
 
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
Chadron State College finished its non-conference slate with a winning record at 4-3. The Eagles started their season hosting their own tournament and swept York University. They then downed Minnesota State Moorhead in four sets to make it a 2-0 start. Chadron State's other two wins came in Florida against Rollins College and Tusculum. Losses to South Dakota Mines, Florida Tech, and Auburn Montgomery brought CSC to its current mark. Lexi Hurtado and Mayson Fago are Chadron State's early leaders on offense. Hurtado and Fago tout 78 kills and 73 kills, respectively while hitting just over .200. Kendyl Kirkwood is the setter and has 232 assists. On defense, Alondra Hernandez has racked up 127 digs to compliment 12 service aces. Bella Adams and Aiyana Fujiyama are tops at the net with 19 blocks apiece.
 
MINES AGAINST THE EAGLES
Mines and Chadron State have faced off on the volleyball court 68 times dating back to 1979. The Orediggers own a record of 44-24 against the Eagles including an active 24-match win streak. Mines and CSC last played on Oct. 11, 2022, in Golden. The home team won in straight sets as Rose Stuewe hammered down 13 kills on .611 hitting while Shannon Perna notched 13 kills on .524 hitting. Emily Knight joined the party with 10 kills on .444 hitting. Knight and Madison Glassco combined for four total blocks. The Orediggers haven't lost to the Eagles since 2007. Mines' 24-match run against Chadron State includes 18 sweeps and six four-set decisions. The Orediggers and Eagles haven't gone five sets since 2007 when CSC took the thriller in Chadron, Neb.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian started its season in Golden at The Oredigger Volleyball Classic, but did not face Mines during the event. Instead, CCU faced San Francisco State, Augustana, Fort Hays State, and Pittsburg State. The Cougars notched a 2-2 record thanks to wins against Augie and Pittsburg State. Last weekend, Colorado Christian was in Michigan at the Grand Valley Invite. The Cougars went 2-2 again as they swept Ursuline College and Davenport, but lost in straight sets to Grand Valley State and Tiffin. Alli Douglass' 81 kills on .287 hitting are good enough to lead the CCU offense. Also notable is Izzy Jones who has 15 kills on a .429 attack percentage while dishing out 10.21 assists per set. She touts 13 service aces as well. Defensively, Renee Phillips and Lilly Woods are a force to be reckoned with, boasting 23 total blocks and 22 total blocks, respectively.
 
MINES AGAINST THE COUGARS
Mines volleyball boasts a 40-24 record in the all-time series against Colorado Christian. The Orediggers have won three straight matches against the Cougars, all in straight sets. They are also 21-10 when playing CCU in Golden. Last season, the Orediggers and Cougars played just once on Oct. 8 in Golden. Mines won the match in straight sets as Rose Stuewe hit .500 on the way to 14 kills and Emily Knight hit .526 thanks to 11 kills. Also notable in that match was Shannon Perna and her eight kills, seven digs, four aces, and one block. Mines last lost to Colorado Christian on Oct. 26, 2019, in a five-set thriller in Lakewood. The Orediggers' haven't lost to CCU in Golden since Oct. 12, 2018. Saturday marks the first of three matches between Mines and Colorado Christian this season
 
SHE'S THE BOSS
Head Coach Jamie Magalei enters 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 345-113 (.753). As of Aug. 30, 2023, her winning percentage ranks inside the top-20 among active coaches in NCAA Division II, and her total wins are 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.
 
FEELING 22
Thanks to the leadership of Coach Magalei and the outstanding performance from numerous signing classes, Mines has posted 10 consecutive 20-win seasons. That does not include the spring of 2021 which only featured 15 total matches. In fact, the Orediggers' lowest win total since 2012 was 22 in 2022. Since taking over in 2008, Magalei's teams have won at least 19 matches in every full-length season.
 
UP NEXT
After opening RMAC play at home, Mines opens a four-match road trip starting on Friday, Sept. 22, at Westminster in Salt Lake City. Free live video on the RMAC Network and free live stats 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.