Mines (17-5, 7-3 RMAC) vs. Black Hills State (6-16, 2-8 RMAC) – Lockridge Arena – Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (17-5, 7-3 RMAC) vs. South Dakota Mines (8-14, 5-5 RMAC) – Lockridge Arena – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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RETURN TO RMAC ACTION
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Power Pod is in the books. Now, all 15 RMAC teams return to league play. Mines volleyball returns to RMAC action Friday and Saturday with Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines coming to Golden for the Orediggers' final home matches of the regular season. Action on Friday against BHSU begins at 7 p.m. Saturday's STEM showdown starts at 5 p.m. and will include Senior Day festivities after the match. With just four matches remaining in the regular season, the next two weeks will be one final push toward the postseason.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches will stream on the RMAC Network (pay-per-view). There will also be free live stats linked above and at www.minesathletics.com.
 
RMAC NETWORK CHANGES
This fall, the RMAC Network moved to a pay-per-view model for all events. Fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans can contact Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.
 
PARENTS, ALUMNI, AND SENIORS – OH MY!
The final home weekend of the regular season also brings multiple celebrations and festivities for Mines volleyball. Friday is Parent Night and the parents, guardians, or other loved ones of Oredigger players will be introduced along with the starting lineups before the match. It also happens to be Anthony's Pizza Night. Anthony's Pizza in Golden is a proud sponsor of Mines Athletics and will provide samples for Oredigger students along with giveaways throughout the match. Saturday marks Alumni Day and Senior Day. That means an invite-only reception for family, friends and alumni of Oredigger volleyball. Alumni in attendance will also be recognized on the court between the first and second sets. After the match, Mines volleyball will recognize its senior class. Those in attendance are strongly encourage to remain in the stands to celebrate the six ladies of honor.
 
MILESTONE PRESENTATION
It's not just about the parents, alumni, and seniors this weekend. Prior to the start of Saturday's match, Head Coach Jamie Magalei and Mines Athletic Director David Hansburg will recognize Jada Price and Amanda Donais Dudley for two very impressive milestones. Price's recognition is for reaching 1,000 career digs. Donais Dudley will be honored for 1,000 career kills. Both will receive a commemorative ball on the court before the start of the match against South Dakota Mines.
 
RMAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On Monday, Jenna McLaughlin was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week after her impressive performance during the RMAC Power Pod in Durango, Colo. The Ohio native posted 14 kills on .357 hitting against UCCS on Friday. Saturday saw McLaughlin torch Fort Lewis with 18 kills on 38 attempts and just one attack error for a .459 hitting percentage. She added seven total blocks, five digs, and one service ace as well. For the weekend, McLaughlin totaled 32 kills at 4.00 kills per set while hitting .415 with nine total blocks, eight digs, one service ace, and a total of 39 points. Her total points and points per set ranked #1 in the RMAC for the weekend. She was also #1 in total kills and #2 in kills per set. Furthermore, the sophomore's hitting percentage was #6 and her blocks per set ranked #10. McLaughlin also earned RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15 and RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8.
 
POWER POD RECAP
As mentioned above, Mines traveled to Durango, Colo., for the 2025 RMAC Power Pod. The Orediggers faced UCCS on Friday and fell in four sets despite double-double performances from Amanda Donais Dudley and Hailee Martinez. Donais Dudley posted 12 kills on .300 hitting and 11 digs. Martinez handed out 40 assists and had 10 digs. On Saturday, Mines faced Fort Lewis and rolled to a 3-1 victory. Jenna McLaughlin's award-winning resume of 18 kills on .459 hitting with seven total blocks, five digs, and one ace were the highlight. Morgan McChesney came out with 12 kills and Martinez churned out a 44-assist, 12-dig double-double as well. Neither of the weekend's matches counted toward the conference standings.
 
SENIOR NIGHT
In case fans hadn't heard by this point in the article, Saturday is Senior Night for Mines. The festivities will take place on court after the match against South Dakota Mines. The celebration will include public address recognition of each senior's accomplishments and a hand-written, personally read tribute from a teammate. This year's guests of honor include Morgan McChesney, Jada Price, Amanda Donais Dudley, Kate Kudlac, Hailee Martinez, and Allison Jansen. Read more about each senior below.
 
AMANDA DONAIS DUDLEY
She arrived at Mines in 2018 and played through the fall of 2021, earning AVCA Third-Team All-America as a senior. With the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Donais Dudley graduated with one year of eligibility remaining, but chose to enter the work force. Over the summer, the Ramona, Calif., native decided to return to Mines for her master's degree and also play one more year of volleyball. Now, with four matches remaining in the regular season, Donais Dudley's career numbers include 1,121 kills, 932 digs, 233 total blocks, 105 aces, and 103 assists. She was Second-Team All-RMAC in 2018, 2019, and the spring of 2021 before upgrading to First-Team All-RMAC in the fall of 2021. Donais Dudley also earned RMAC All-Tournament distinction three times and was RMAC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season – the first weekly award of her career. Donais Dudley currently appears four times in the program record book.
 
ALLISON JANSEN
Middle blocker Allison Jansen came to Golden from Chesterfield, Mo., in 2022. She redshirted as a true freshman and then burst into a starting role in 2023. Over the last three seasons, Jansen has totaled 249 kills, 89 blocks, 53 digs, 20 aces, and five assists. The best performance of her career arguably came on Senior Day in 2023 against Western Colorado when she hammered down 13 kills on 18 attempts with zero attack errors to hit .722 with one block and one dig as well. With that performance, Jansen still ranks #6 in program history for hitting percentage in a match on 15-19 attempts. The Missouri native also appeared on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll in 2023 and 2024 and will graduate from Mines with a degree in civil engineering.
 
KATE KUDLAC
Like Jansen, Kudlac joined the program in 2022 by way of Lassiter High School in Roswell, Ga. The outside hitter also redshirted as a true freshman. Her collegiate debut came on opening day in 2023 against Fort Hays State. By 2024, Kudlac had taken over starting duties on the outside and put together a breakout season. The top performance of her career was against Westminster on Nov. 1, 2024, in Lakewood, Colo. She tossed down 16 kills on .389 hitting and added two total blocks in the 3-1 victory for the Orediggers. Kudlac touts two appearances on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll as well, and will graduate from Mines with a degree in mechanical engineering.
 
HAILEE MARTINEZ
Her one and only season as an Oredigger was the 2025 campaign after stops at Western Colorado, Midland University (Neb.), and Northern Colorado. During her time at Mines alone, Martinez has produced 813 assists, 195 digs, 26 aces, 22 blocks, and 19 kills. She also boasts 11 double-doubles in an Oredigger uniform. For her collegiate career, Martinez' numbers include 1,678 assists, 482 digs, 67 aces, 38 kills, and 25 blocks with 20 double-doubles across three different stops. Heading into the weekend, Martinez ranks #1 in the RMAC in assists and assists per set, and she has been named RMAC Setter of the Week three times during the 2025 season alone. She finished her bachelor's degree in exercise science at UNC, and she's earning a master's degree in engineering & technology management at Mines.
 
MORGAN MCCHESNEY
As a true freshman in 2022, McChesney made an immediate impact at middle blocker with 30 appearances and 20 starts as Mines advanced to the NCAA tournament. She was a fulltime starter in 2023 before her season ended with an injury. The Arvada, Colo., native returned and made an impact in 2024 as well. In just under four seasons with the Orediggers, McChesney owns 370 kills, 159 total blocks, 80 digs, 14 aces, and seven assists. Furthermore, the Ralston Valley High School graduate led the team in blocks per set two of the last four years and ranked top-three on the team each year of her college career. McChesney will graduate from Mines with a degree in chemical engineering.
 
JADA PRICE
Arrived at Mines in 2022 and quickly became a contributor as a defensive specialist. Since then, Price has accumulated 1,091 digs, 172 assists, 74 aces, and five kills as one of the most consistent backrow players in the RMAC. The best performance of her career appropriately came as a senior against Colorado Mesa earlier this season. In a reverse sweep of the Mavericks, Price stacked up 26 digs and six assists with three aces. The Argyle, Texas, native became the first Oredigger to surpass 1,000 career digs since current assistant coach and the program's all-time leader Elle Krause (née Duis) from 2018-22. Price was named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, RMAC Academic Honor Roll, Cougar Classic All-Tournament, and Oredigger Classic All-Tournament in 2023. She appeared on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll again in 2024. Earlier this season, Price was recognized as the best libero during the Oredigger Volleyball Classic with all-tournament distinction for a second time. Price will graduate from Mines with a degree in chemical engineering.
 
RMAC ROUNDUP
The regular season is entering the home stretch, and that means qualifying and seeding for the RMAC volleyball tournament is at the forefront of everyone's minds. Mines is well positioned to make the conference postseason for the first time since 2022. The Orediggers are tied for fourth in the RMAC standings with CSU Pueblo at 7-3. Those two teams are just two games back of league leaders UCCS and MSU Denver who are 9-1. Fort Lewis is alone in third at 8-2. Three of Mines' last four opponents sit #12, #13, and #14 in the league standings. Three wins in the next two weeks guarantee the Orediggers a berth in the RMAC tournament, but two wins should do the trick as well. Also coming into play is the chance to host a quarterfinal match. That would require Mines to finish fourth or better including tiebreakers. With that in mind, the last four matches for UCCS, MSU Denver, Fort Lewis, and CSU Pueblo feature opponents in the top half of the league. All that being said, anything can happen in the next two weeks.
 
UNDER CONSIDERATION
Earlier this week, the NCAA released its first edition of the 2025 NCAA Division II Volleyball regional rankings. As has become tradition, the first release features teams in alphabetical order and under consideration. There is no actual ranking associated with any teams. Mines was indeed under consideration in this week's regional ranking. The committee provides 10 teams, but only the top eight in the region advance to the NCAA tournament. Other programs in the region that are under consideration include Angelo State, Colorado Mesa, CSU Pueblo, Lubbock Christian, MSU Denver, St. Mary's, Texas Woman's, UCCS, and West Texas A&M. Next week's release will come on Wednesday and featured official numbered rankings. It is notable that this is the first time the Orediggers have been under consideration for the NCAA tournament since 2022.
 
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State University from Spearfish, S.D., comes to Golden, Colo., Friday with a record of 6-16 (2-8 RMAC). The Yellow Jackets have lost three straight contests, but are not mathematically eliminated from reaching the RMAC tournament. In the recent Power Pod, BHSU faced Chadron State and New Mexico Highlands in Nebraska. The Yellow Jackets were swept by CSC and fell in four sets to NMHU. Prior to that, Black Hills State also managed to lose in five sets at three-win Regis. The Yellow Jacket's two conference wins were at home against Chadron State and on the road at Western Colorado. Ellie Thomas is a bright spot for BHSU as she ranks top-50 in the nation in total digs and digs per set and 384 and 4.80, respectively. On offense, Emily Freeland's 222 kills on .185 hitting lead the team. Peyton McLeod and Jaeda Davis-Golliher have combined for over 100 blocks.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE YELLOW JACKETS
Mines is 17-1 all-time against Black Hills State volleyball. The Orediggers' only loss to BHSU was the first meeting between the two teams in 1992. Mines didn't play the Yellow Jackets again until 2012. Since then, the Orediggers have won 17 straight including 12 straight-set decisions. Mines and Black Hills State have never played a five-set match. Last year's lone meeting between the Orediggers and Yellow Jackets was in Golden. Highlights included Olivia Murillo's 13 digs and four aces with Morgan McChesney putting down four total blocks.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
After a historic 2024 campaign, South Dakota Mines suffered a disastrous start to 2025. The Hardrockers went 0-8 in non-conference play and then went 2-4 to start RMAC action. Since that start, SDM has somewhat righted the proverbial ship. Last week's 3-0, neutral-site victory against Colorado Mesa during the Power Pod provides evidence of the course correction. However, right after the notable victory, South Dakota Mines fell in straight sets to MSU Denver. The Hardrockers won't play a match before coming to Golden on Friday. That brings them into a match with the Orediggers touting a 6-4 record across their last 10 matches. On offense, Lexi Glendenning and Morgan Daughtery provide a double-barrel threat with nearly 500 combined kills. On defense, Hannah Benes represents one of the premier setters in the RMAC with her 4.81 digs per set which ranks top-50 in the nation. At the net, Kiera Walsh boasts 56 total blocks.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE HARDROCKERS
Colorado School of Mines and South Dakota Mines already played a match this year. It was a non-conference showdown which also opened the 2025 Oredigger Volleyball Classic at Lockridge Arena. The ladies from Colorado took down SDM in four sets. Amanda Donais Dudley led the charge with her 13-kill, 10-dig double-double. Tori Garrett, Abbie O'Shay, and Jenna McLaughlin all had double-digit kills as well with McLaughlin getting her 10 on .421 hitting. McLaughlin also stacked seven total blocks. That non-conference win pushed the Orediggers to 11-6 all-time against South Dakota Mines. Colorado School of Mines has also won seven of its last 10 matchups with the Hardrockers. However, the Orediggers haven't taken a RMAC contest from SDM since 2022.
 
JADA JOINS THE CLUB
During Mines' conference match at Fort Lewis, Jada Price surpassed 1,000 digs as an Oredigger. She hit the milestone on the nose thanks to 20 digs in the five-set thriller in Durango. Now, in just under four collegiate seasons, Price owns 1,055 digs, 164 assists, 72 service aces, and four kills from the back row. The last Oredigger to go over 1,000 career digs was Elle Duis who played from 2018-11 and is now an assistant coach for Mines. Duis also happens to be the program's all-time leader in digs with a total of 2,285 across five seasons.
 
1000 KILLS
Earlier this season, Amanda Donais Dudley surpassed 1,000 kills for her collegiate career. The crafty veteran now touts 1,109 kills along with 921 digs, 233 total blocks, 105 aces, and 103 assists. Those who are quick with the simple match know Donais Dudley sits just 67 digs from a second admittance into Club 1K. Donais Dudley originally played for Mines from 2018-21 and was an all-American as a senior. She finished her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and graduated in the spring of 2022. However, Donais Dudley still had a year of college eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, when she decided to come back to Mines for a master's degree in mechanical engineering, she decided to play some more volleyball. The 2025 season will be Donais Dudley's final collegiate campaign.
 
STANDING IN THE HALL OF FAME
Five-time all-American Danielle Johnson-Hazlewood was announced as a member of the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025 over the summer. She was officially enshrined on Oct. 4. One of the most decorated players in Mines volleyball history, Johnson-Hazlewood is one of an elite few Orediggers in any sport to have been a four-year RMAC champion. She led Mines to the conference regular-season titles in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Johnson-Hazlewood also helped the Orediggers win the RMAC Tournament title as a senior in 2015. Fans can read her entire Mines Athletics Hall of Fame profile HERE.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Jamie Magalei is in her 18th season leading the Mines volleyball program. She is easily the program's all-time leader in total wins and win percentage at 380-144 (.725). Magalei surpassed 300 career wins in 2021. She's one of six to reach the milestone while coaching in the RMAC. Through 2024, Magalei has coached 31 all-America selections, three Academic All-Americans, and 66 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.
 
UP NEXT
Mines closes the regular season next weekend with a Friday match at Chadron State and a Saturday showdown at Regis. Both contests will have live video available with a subscription to the RMAC Network.
 
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.