By: Sam Boender
GOLDEN, Colo. – Colorado School of Mines Volleyball Head Coach
Jamie Magalei inked a trio of new Orediggers during this year's early signing period.
Sophia Davila, Kaiya Gilbert, and Caroline Walden are the new signees. All three will arrive at Mines in the fall of 2026 as true freshmen. Davila and Walden hail from Texas while Gilbert represents the Centennial State by way of Castle Rock, Colo. The early focus for Magalei was outside hitter and setter. Fans can watch for more additions during the spring signing period.
Below is a snapshot of the early signees.
Sophia Davila – 5-11 – OH – Dallas, Texas – Woodrow Wilson HS
Kaiya Gilbert – 6-0 – S – Castle Rock, Colo. – Castle View HS
Caroline Walden – 5-11 – Cypress, Texas – Cypress Woods HS
Sophia Davila – 5-11 – Outside Hitter
Dallas, Texas – Woodrow Wilson HS – Excel 18 Red
HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Attended School for the Talented and Gifted at Townview while competing for Woodrow Wilson High School in Texas … Claimed four varsity letters as a pin hitter for WWHS … A four-time First-Team All-District player with over 1,000 career kills … Crowned the district's most valuable player … Twice named Outstanding Hitter of the Year … Was team captain as a senior … Played club volleyball for Excel 18 Red … Recognized as an AVCA Phenom and was invited to the UA-NEXT Camp .. Also a two-time Open National Qualifier winner … Stacked 16 advanced place courses at the top high school in Texas and one of the top-10 in the nation … Planning to major in business engineering and management science at Mines.
Kaiya Gilbert – 6-0 – Setter
Castle Rock, Colo. – Castle View HS – Elevation Volleyball Club
HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Earned four varsity letters setting for the volleyball team at Castle View High School in Colorado … Career numbers include 2,450 assists at 8.2 assists per set with 669 digs, 315 digs, and nearly 1.0 aces and 1.0 blocks per set … Named Honorable Mention All-State as a junior and senior … Two-time First-Team All-Conference player … Second-Team All-Conference setter as a sophomore … Recognized as First-Team Academic All-State as a junior and senior … Twice named most valuable player … Played club volleyball for Elevation Volleyball Club … Member of the National Honor Society and earned an Academic Excellence Letter … Plans to major in civil engineering at Mines.
Caroline Walden – 5-11 – Outside Hitter
Cypress, Texas – Cypress Woods HS – Texas, Tornados
HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: A four-time varsity letterwinner as an outside hitter at Cypress Hills High School in Texas … Prep career totals include 1,612 kills on .262 hitting with 135 blocks, and 935 digs … Was a two-year captain for her high school team and three-year captain for her club … Started for CHHS as a true freshman and won District 16-6A Newcomer of the Year while leading the team in kill percentage … Earned First-Team All-District and all-tournament honors as a sophomore while earning status on the AVCA Phenom Watchlist … First-Team All-District again and team's offensive player of the year as a junior … Senior season brought AVCA All-Region distinction and a nod as the Houston Chronicle Athlete of the Week … Played club volleyball for the Texas Tornados and was named to the GJNC USA Division All-Tournament team … Member of the National Honor Society and appeared on the Distinguished Honor Roll in 2024-25 … Plans to major in biochemistry at Mines.
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on "X" (formerly Twitter) at @MinesVolleyball and 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.
