Sept. 6-7 – Lockridge Arena – Golden, Colo. – Tournament Central
Mines (0-0) vs. Concord (0-0) – Friday, 1 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (0-0) vs. Missouri Western (0-0) – Friday, 6 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (0-0) vs. Gannon (0-0) – Saturday, 12 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (0-0) vs. Michigan Tech (0-0) – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

---

LIVE COVERAGE
All 16 matches of the 2024 Oredigger Volleyball Classic presented by Marriott Denver West will stream live and for free on the RMAC Network. Fans can access the live video by going to www.minesathletics.com/tv. There will also be live stats for each match on both courts. Those can be accessed at the tournament central at www.minesathletics.com/orediggerclassic.
 
TICKETS AND PARKING
Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print tickets at home ahead of the tournament by going to www.minesathletics.com/tickets. Adults are $10 for the entire day, children, seniors, and military are $5 for the day. Mines faculty, staff, and students get in free with their Blaster Card. Additionally, children age 11 and under are free. Those planning to attend in person will need to pay for parking prior to 5 p.m. on Friday. Parking is free after 5 p.m. on Friday and all day Saturday. The two best options for parking are Lot D (1651 Elm Street), and the Parking Garage (1400 Maple Street). Fans can visit the Parking page for more information.
 
THE FORMAT
Friday and Saturday bring the 19th edition of the Oredigger Classic. This year's event is presented by Marriott Denver West. Seven teams are set to join Mines at Lockridge Arena for a two-day, two-court, invitational-style weekend. Matchups are preset and there is not bracket. The first two out of 16 total matches start at 11 a.m. on Friday with additional matches at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Saturday starts at 10 a.m. The last three start times are 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. Matches may begin late, but will not run ahead for any reason. Mines' fixtures include Concord at 1 p.m. on Friday, Missouri Western at 6 p.m. on Friday, Gannon at 12 p.m. on Saturday, and Michigan Tech at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
 
GUEST LIST
Mines is set to host seven other teams at Lockridge Arena. Those programs include Colorado Mesa, Concord (W.V.), Concordia-St. Paul, Gannon (Pa.), Michigan Tech, Missouri Western, and Regis. Last season, those seven programs combined for an overall record of 156-61. Five of the seven teams posted at least 20 wins. Three squads were 2023 conference tournament champions. Four of the seven programs advanced to the 2023 NCAA tournament including two top regional seeds (Concordia-St. Paul, Gannon). Heading into the weekend, three teams are ranked in the preseason national poll including #5 Concordia-St. Paul, #13 Regis, and #17 Colorado Mesa with Gannon receiving votes. Six conferences are represented including the Mountain East (Concord), the Northern Sun (Concordia-St. Paul), Pennsylvania State Athletic (Gannon), Great Lakes Intercollegiate (Michigan Tech), the Mid-America Intercollegiate (Missouri Western), and of course the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. None of the teams from the same conference will play each other this weekend.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Concord and Michigan Tech represent first-time opponents for Mines in the Orediggers' 47-year history of collegiate volleyball. Mines is 1-0 against Missouri Western with an identical record in the all-time series with Gannon. The Orediggers last played MWSU on Sept. 6, 2008, in a neutral-site contest in St. Louis, Mo. Of note, current Colorado School of Mines Associate Athletic Director Tiffany McCampbell (née Mastin) was the head coach of the Griffons for that meeting. The Orediggers won the match in four sets. Mines' lone showdown with Gannon came on Sept. 3, 2022, in Hillsdale, Mich. The Orediggers won that match in four sets as well.
 
NINETEEN YEARS OF THE CLASSIC
In 2005, former Mines Head Volleyball Coach Shelly Johnson started the Oredigger Volleyball Classic. When current skipper Jamie Magalei took over in 2008, she made it Mines' season opener and it has stayed that way for 15 of the last 17 seasons. Overall, the hosts tout a record of 56-17 in the invitational with Coach Magalei going 50-11 during her time at the helm. The Orediggers have won a total of 181 sets compared to 70 losses. Magalei's set record is 157-59. Since 2014, Mines is 28-7 at the Oredigger Classic including 18 sweeps, seven four-setters, and three five-set classics. Most recently, in 2023, Magalei's Orediggers went 2-2 with four-set wins against Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State followed by straight-set losses to San Francsico State and Findlay.
 
THE 2024 SLATE
After the Oredigger Volleyball Classic, Mines will play four matches at the Northwest Nazarene Tournament in Nampa, Idaho. Opposition there includes Saint Martin's, Point Loma, Biola, and Augustana. Conference action begins on the road on Friday, Sept. 20, at Chadron State. The rest of Mines' home schedule includes Colorado Mesa, MSU Denver (twice), Colorado Christian, South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State, CSU Pueblo, and Adams State. Road contests, including the last six matches of the year, come at New Mexico Highlands, Colorado Christian, Westminster, Regis, UCCS, Fort Lewis, and Western Colorado. October 4-5 (MSU Denver, Colorado Christian) and Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 (Colorado Christian, Westminster) are all part of the RMAC pod schedule and are non-conference contests.
 
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
The Orediggers 2024 campaign features a total of 26 matches against 22 different teams including 13 home showdowns, 14 RMAC matches, and 12 non-conference contests. The slate includes five NCAA tournament teams from last season, three 2023 conference champions, and five opponents who appeared in or received votes in the final national rankings of 2023. The combined record of Mines' opposition from last season was 330-290 with 12 programs finishing with a winning record including six teams with at least 20 wins.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Jamie Magalei enters 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 354-122 (.744). Entering the 2024 season, 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 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.
 
HOW IT ENDED
Mines closed the 2023 campaign by winning three of its last four matches – all in straight sets. Sweeps of UCCS, Fort Lewis, and Western Colorado helped the Orediggers finish above .500 overall at 14-12 while bringing their RMAC mark to 7-7. Even so, Mines missed the postseason for the first time in over a decade. The only loss for Coach Magalei's squad in the final two weeks was a five-set thriller at then #8-ranked MSU Denver. Rose Stuewe and Presley Powell earned Second-Team All-RMAC and Honorable Mention All-RMAC, respectively. Additionally, Meghna Slaninka was named RMAC First-Team All-Academic on the way to College Sports Communicators' (CSC) Academic All-District distinction. Shannon Perna and Jada Price joined Slaninka on the CSC squad as well.
 
THE RETURNERS
There are 10 Orediggers returning from the 2023 squad. Meghan Slaninka, Mogan McChesney, Jada Price, Renata Bolado Corona, Kate Kudlac, Naomi Romslo, Presley Powell, Allison Jansen, Emma Smithey, and Hope Storm make up the list of returners. Nine of the 10 saw action with eight of the 10 racking up numerous sets of experience.
 
FRESH FACES
Coach Magalei bolstered her 2024 roster with 12 newcomers which include four transfers and eight true freshman. Hannah Kinnison arrives as a graduate transfer by way of Angelo State and NCAA Division I San Francisco. Kekililani Helekahi played two years at NJCAA New Mexico Military Institute. Jenna McLaughlin was a club player at NCAA Division I Villanova. Brianna Binder joins the Orediggers after four seasons at McKendree (Ill.). The rest of the fresh faces include Brinleigh Davis, Taylor Helms, Ava Swan, Olivia Murillo, Layla Padgett, Avery Perreira, Emma Dunwoody, and Eryn Hiraki. Fans can read more about the newcomers HERE and HERE.
 
PRESEASON POLL
Mines was picked sixth in the conference's preseason coaches' poll. The Orediggers earned 137 points to earn the standing, edging out #7 Colorado Christian and #8 Chadron State. Defending regular-season champion MSU Denver was picked #1 behind seven of 15 first-place votes. Colorado Mesa earned six first-place votes to finish #2. Conference tournament champion Regis rounded out the top-three with the last two first-place votes. South Dakota Mines was #4 and CSU Pueblo was #5.
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers return to action next week, starting on Thursday at the Northwest Nazarene Tournament in Nampa, Idaho. Mines is slated to play Saint Martin's and Point Loma on Thursday, Biola on Friday, and Augustana on Saturday. Live coverage information and a full preview will be available next week at www.minesathletics.com.
 
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.