Mines (8-14, 4-6 RMAC) at Regis (11-11, 7-3 RMAC) – Denver, Colo. – Friday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (8-14, 4-6 RMAC) at UCCS (10-12, 4-6 RMAC) – Colorado Springs, Colo. – Saturday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]

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PENULTIMATE WEEKEND
Pod play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) concluded last week, and the penultimate weekend of the 2024 regular season has arrived. The return to RMAC action takes the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball on a trip to Regis Friday and to UCCS Saturday. Only four matches remain for the Orediggers to clinch a berth in the 2024 RMAC Volleyball Tournament, and they're in the thick of it for a chance to extend their season. It all starts Friday at 5 p.m. in Denver. First serve Saturday is set for 7 p.m. in Colorado Springs.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches will be streamed live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. There will also be free live stats for each match linked on the Orediggers' schedule page at www.minesathletics.com.
 
POWER POD REWIND
Mines volleyball completed the RMAC Power Pod last week with a three-set loss to Colorado Christian on Thursday and a four-set win against Westmisnter on Friday. Both matches were played at the CCU Event Center in Lakewood. Neither decision counted toward the conference standings. Offensively across the two matches, Kate Kudlac and Taylor Helms were the biggest producers for the Orediggers. Kudlac totaled 25 kills and Helms had 22 kills with both hitting over .275 on the outside. Also notable on the attack was Hannah Kinnison tallying 20 kills. On defense, Hope Storm and Allison Jansen combined for a total of 16 blocks while Olivia Murillo ground out 33 digs at a clip of 4.71 digs per set. Storm also ran things at setter and averaged 9.57 assists per set.
 
POSTSEASON OUTLOOK
The Orediggers are 8-14 overall and 4-6 in RMAC play with two weekends and four matches left to play. That mark has Mines tied for 10th in the conference standings. Eight teams advance to the RMAC postseason for volleyball. If the season ended today, MSU Denver (10-0), Colorado Mesa (9-1), South Dakota Mines (7-3), Regis (7-3), Colorado Christian (6-4), CSU Pueblo (6-4), Western Colorado (6-4), and Westminster (5-5) would round out the league tournament bracket. Mathematically, there are a plethora of possibilities and outcomes, but history paints a slightly clearer picture. Since 2016, when the RMAC did away with divisions, teams have advanced to the conference tournament with a .500, or worse, record in conference play seven out of eight seasons. Five of those seasons saw teams with a losing conference record slip into the postseason. Last year, the Orediggers were 7-7 in league play and just missed making the tournament on tiebreakers. Now, with a 4-6 record, history would dictate that Mines needs to win at least three of its final four RMAC matches to stay in the mix. Four wins in the last four matches all but guarantees a spot in the postseason.
 
FIRST TIME SINCE…
When Mines hosted CSU Pueblo on Oct. 25, there were two notable team accomplishment in the win. The Orediggers' 16 blocks were the most in a match in over decade. Game-by-game records available go back to 2013 and no Mines team matched or bested the 16 blocks in a match. Contributing to the milestone were Morgan McChesney (9), Hannah Kinnison (5), Allison Jansen (5), Taylor Helms (4), Hope Storm (2). Fans should note that player total blocks combined solo and assisted blocks. Overall, for Mines, there were 22 assisted blocks and five solo blocks. The other notable accomplishment was 10 service aces. That marked the most service aces in a single match since the fall of 2021. Jansen notched four, Avery Perreira had three, Storm notched one, Jada Price had one, and Olivia Murillo knocked one out as well.
 
BIG BLOCK
In 2024, the Orediggers have brought the block in earnest. Mines ranks third in the RMAC in total blocks (181.0) and blocks per set (2.18). Regis and #1 MSU Denver are the only teams with more blocks than the Orediggers. Individually, Jenna McLaughlin is the host of the block party. She owns 63.0 total blocks at a clip just under one block per set. A quartet of Orediggers are right behind McLaughlin. Taylor Helms touts 47 total blocks, Hannah Kinnison has 46 stuffs, Morgan McChesney boasts 42 total blocks, and Allison Jansen has surged to 42 blocks on the season. Most notable out of the four is Jansen who has tallied her stops in just 41 sets for an average of 1.02 blocks per set which ranks first on the team and sixth in the RMAC.
 
SENIOR TRIO
Mines recognized its three seniors on the 2024 roster late last month. Hannah Kinnison, Emma Smithey, and Hope Storm all took center stage (or court if you will) with each boasting vastly different paths to their final season of collegiate volleyball. Kinnison's career to date includes stops at the University of San Francisco and Angelo State. She's produced 972 kills, 698 digs, 154 blocks, 62 assists, and 27 aces. Smithey, in her fourth year with the Orediggers, owns 49 kills, 24 digs, nine blocks, and two assists. The best match of her career came against South Dakota Mines in 2022 when she had 11 kills, nine digs, and two blocks. Storm, also in her fourth year with the Orediggers, made her collegiate debut earlier this season and now owns 235 assists, 63 digs, 17 blocks, 10 kills, and three aces in seven matches of action. She leads the team in assists per set.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
So far this season, Mines has used 17 Orediggers in match action. Of those 17 student-athletes, eight are true freshmen and nine had never played in a NCAA volleyball match prior to this season. Taylor Helms and Jenna McLaughlin are the foundation of the fountain of youth. Helms has 194 kills and 47 total blocks, both ranking second on the team. McLaughlin boasts 109 kills and 63 total blocks. In the back row, Avery Perreira and Olivia Murillo have combined for 341 digs. That duo also boasts a total of 25 service aces. Furthermore, Brinleigh Davis has seen significant time at setter and dished out 304 assists with 60 digs, 19 total blocks, nine kills and two aces. Additional contributions to the explosion of Oredigger youth have come from Ava Swan, Layla Padgett, and Emma Dunwoody.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
Regis is 11-11 overall and 7-3 in conference play. They are tied for third in the RMAC standings and are under consideration in the NCAA South Central Region poll. Injuries and youth have made RU's campaign a bit of a rollercoaster. The perennial power went 1-3 at Mines' Oredigger Classic to start the season and then 1-3 again at the elite Colorado Premier for a 2-6 start. It was a 2-7 start when Regis started league action with a straight-set loss at South Dakota Mines. However, the Rangers followed up with eight straight wins to right the ship. Last weekend, RU faltered again with a pair of non-conference losses to #1 MSU Denver and #16 Colorado Mesa during the aforementioned Power Pod. Despite their .500 record, the Rangers rank #1 in the nation in blocks per set and #5 in total blocks. Amelia Davis leads that charge as she sits #6 in the nation on the merits of 1.39 blocks per set with her 111 total blocks ranking #13 in NCAA Division II. Other RU leaders include Halle Theis with 267 kills, Reagan Hickey with 846 assists, and Bre Skala touting 361 digs and 22 aces.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE RANGERS
Mines trails Regis, 28-51-1, in the all-time series between the two teams. The Orediggers dropped their only meeting with RU last season in straight sets in Golden with very few highlights for the home team. However, in 2022, Mines took two of three from the Rangers. Regis swept the Orediggers in Denver before Mines returned the favor in Golden and eventually toppled RU in five sets during the 2022 RMAC Volleyball Tournament.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
After a 4-0 start to the 2024 campaign, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs sits 10-12 overall and 4-6 in the RMAC. The Mountain Lions are tied with the Orediggers in the conference standings at #10. Last week's power pod saw UCCS fall in four to Adams State before downing Fort Lewis, 3-1. Notable in the Mountain Lions schedule is a five-set thriller against Regis. UCCS eventually fell but did push RU to the max. In the season box score, Payton Tompkins leads the team with 293 kills. Audrey Dowd has 545 assists. Sydnee Walker tops the service game thanks to 20 aces. Mackenzie Ransom anchors the back row as evidenced by 300 digs. Avery Ahlers boasts 65 total blocks.
 
MINES AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
The Orediggers have defeated UCCS 32 times in volleyball compared to 24 losses. Mines also touts an active win streak of 17 matches against the Mountain Lions. The Orediggers haven't lost to UCCS since 2012 and haven't dropped a set to the Mountain Lions since 2018. That's right, Mines has swept UCCS in six straight meetings. Last year, the 3-0 decision came in Golden. Allison Jansen converted eight kills at a .467 clip and Presley Powell pounded out four service aces.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Jamie Magalei is in her 17th season leading the Mines volleyball program in 2024. She is easily the program's all-time leader in total wins and win percentage at 362-136 (.726). Entering the 2024 season, 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 winning percentage entering 2024 ranked 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 2023, Magalei has coached 31 all-America selections, three Academic All-Americans, and 65 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 from 2009-22 (no NCAA tournament in 2020). 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.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Saturday's match at UCCS will mark Head Coach Jamie Magalei's 500th match at the helm of the Orediggers.
 
UP NEXT
Mines closes the regular season with a road trip to Fort Lewis and Western Colorado. The Orediggers face FLC in Durango, Colo., on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. before going to Gunnison on Saturday and playing at 4 p.m. Free live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be offered for both matches.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on "X" (formerly 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, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.