GOLDEN, Colo. – It took five thrilling sets to decide Tuesday night's RMAC volleyball tournament quarterfinal between fourth-seeded Colorado School of Mines and fifth-seeded Colorado Mesa. In the end, the Mavericks prevailed at Lockridge Arena.
 
Balanced helped the home team push their guests to the limit. Cadence McDonald recorded 14 kills, Abbie O'Shay had 13 kills, Jenna McLaughlin produced 11 kills, and Morgan McChesney knocked down 10 kills on .400 hitting. Defensively, Francesca Nuzzo, Jada Price, and Olivia Murillo churned out 18 digs apiece, while O'Shay, McLaughlin, and McDonald combined for 18 blocks. Rounding out the home highlights were Naomi Romslo's four aces and Martinez' 41 assists with two aces and seven digs. The visitors channeled their offense through Sadie Scoville who swung at the ball 57 times and notched 25 kills with 23 digs and two blocks.
 
Mines (20-7) bowed out of the conference tournament despite a 14-10 advantage in blocks and an 8-3 margin in service aces. Colorado Mesa (17-9) entered the match ranked #22 in the nation in attack percentage and lived up to the billing. The Mavericks kept their season alive by hitting .255 on 208 swings. The Orediggers hit over. 200 as a team and had fewer attack errors than CMU, but the lower seed extended points, sets, and the match with an overall edge in digs, 91-84. Each set was decided by exactly two points with three of five frames going to extra points. Colorado Mesa advances to the RMAC volleyball tournament semifinals where it will face top-seeded and #9-ranked MSU Denver on the Roadrunners' home court. Mines, which was ranked #4 in the last regional rankings, awaits next Monday's NCAA Selection Show scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sixteen ties and three lead changes in the first set established an early tone to the match. The final two points were an O'Shay kill followed by a Brinleigh Davis-O'Shay block, clinching the 27-25 win for Mines. McLaughlin had four kills and Martinez dished out 10 assists in the opening game. The second set brought 10 more ties and six lead changes. A late kill by McDonald couldn't keep Colorado Mesa from evening the match on a 25-23 margin. Price's seven digs were the highlight of the frame. After extra points and a 25-23 margin, fans likely thought the match couldn't get more exciting. They were wrong.
 
The third set of the night brough a match-high 18 ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points at any point in the game. A McDonald kill made the score 26-25 in favor of the Orediggers. Then, a Mines block seemingly ended the set and gave the home team the advantage. However, a an appeal by CMU coach Austin Albers eventually overturned the play after an Oredigger was found in the net behind the play. It still took three more rallies, but the Mavericks found a 2-1 lead in the match with a 29-27 win. The margin aside, McChesney's five error-free kills still proved impressive for the Orediggers as the usual middle blocker played right-side for the evening.
 
Mines left minimal doubt in the fourth set. It was the only frame of the night with zero ties and zero lead changes. While Colorado Mesa valiantly tried to rally from a seven-point deficit and five Oredigger blocks, the final score still fell in favor of the home team and forced the ever-decisive fifth set. There, the Mavericks built a 13-7 lead, but Mines rallied back and forced extra points. However, six combined kills from middle blockers O'Shay and McLaughlin couldn't keep CMU from the 16-14 win and advancement. McDonald did add three total blocks in the race to 15 points as well.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines and Colorado Mesa played five sets in the regular season as well. The Orediggers won that match at Lockridge Arena by way of a reverse sweep.
- Tuesday marked the first quarterfinal meeting between Mines and CMU since 2019.
- Allison Jansen and Morgan McChesney, senior middle blockers for the Orediggers, both played multiple rotations on the right side against the Mavericks.
- McDonald's 14 kills were a career high for the true freshman. She also recorded her first collegiate ace and matched her single-match best in blocks.
- O'Shay's 39 attacks and three digs were career highs and she matched her best performance in blocks as well.
- Four aces for Romslo were the most she's ever had in a single match.
- Mines has only lost 11 RMAC tournament matches since 2008.
- Oredigger Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 383-145 in her 18th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines now awaits the NCAA Selection Show scheduled for Monday, Nov. 23, at 5:30 p.m. to see if they will earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The show will air, pre-recorded, on www.ncaa.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on "X" (formerly Twitter) at @minesvolleyball and on Instagram at @mines.volleyball. They can also follow all of Mines Athletics year around on Facebook, "X", and Instagram at @MinesAthletics.