DENVER, Colo. – The seventh-seeded Colorado School of Mines volleyball team handed second-seeded UCCS a five-set upset Thursday afternoon in the first game of the first round of the NCAA tournament at MSU Denver.
 
Jenna McLaughlin led all players with 15 kills, and her seven blocks were tied for the game high. Amanda Donais Dudley churned out a 13-kill, 17-dig double-double while adding two blocks and three assists. Morgan McChesney made it a trio of Orediggers with double-digit kills thanks to 12 by the senior middle blocker. Jada Price anchored a staunch back row with her match-high 26 digs. Francesca Nuzzo added 12 digs while Hailee Martinez and Olivia Murillo produced 10 digs apiece. Martinez turned in a double-double as well thanks to 46 assists with two aces, two kills, and three blocks to boot.
 
As a team, Mines (21-7) finished the match with more points, more kills, more aces, more assists, and more digs than UCCS (26-4). The Mountain Lions found a 10-8 advantage in total blocks, and held the Orediggers to .181 on the attack. However, the Mines still limited UCCS to just a .113 hitting percentage. The victory pushes the Orediggers into the second round of the tournament for the seventh time since 2015. The Mountain Lions' historic season ends after they shared the RMAC regular-season title, advanced to the conference tournament final match, and earned just their second NCAA tournament berth in program history as the #2 seed in the region. Mines had gone 0-2 against UCCS during the regular season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines rolled into the Auraria Event Center Thursday morning after going more than two weeks without playing a match. Potential rust and nerves showed early when UCCS leapt to a 7-2 lead in the first set. The Mountain Lions made it 13-5 and had Oredigger fans wringing their hands with anxiety. Even so, Mines rallied back and tied the match at 21 and 22 before the Mountain Lions clinched a 25-22 win. Four error-free kills and six digs from Donais Dudley helped with the rally while McLaughlin recorded three of her seven blocks in the opening frame.
 
The Orediggers returned the favor in the second set as McChesney came off the bench and pushed Mines to an 8-1 lead. That margin turned into 15-5 and eventually 18-10. The Orediggers' kept their foot on the gas and closed out the 25-12 win riding a 7-2 run. McLaughlin smacked down the 25th point to help Mines even the match at one set apiece. In the second set alone, McLaughlin produced four kills on .571 hitting, Price notched seven digs, and Martinez tallied both of her service aces. Also notable were four kills each off the hands of McChesney and Donais Dudley.
 
Nine ties and three lead changes in the third set made it the closest game of the match on paper. However, UCCS ultimately closed out a comfortable, 25-17 win to retake the lead. The Orediggers, facing season-ending elimination, responded with a balanced attack in the fourth set. Donais Dudley, Cadence McDonald, and Nuzzo each recorded three kills with McDonald hitting .400. Nuzzo also match Price's five digs. Eleven assists by Martinez coordinated a 25-20 victory for Mines and forced the ever-thrilling fifth set. There, four ties and three lead changes in the race to 15 points seemed appropriate. The Orediggers and Mountain Lions went point-for-point all the way to 4-4 before kills by Nuzzo, Martinez, and McLaughlin pushed Mines ahead, 8-5. After the teams changed sides, UCCS clawed back within one point of tying the game on four occasions but couldn't get over the hump. Back-to-back Mountain Lion errors cemented the 15-12 result and the victory for Mines.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 34-26 in the all-time series against UCCS.
- Thursday was the first-ever meeting between the Orediggers and Mountain Lions in the national postseason and first postseason meeting of any kind since the 2016 RMAC tournament.
- Mines and UCCS have not played a five-set match since Sept. 21, 2013 – over 12 years ago.
- Since 2015, the Orediggers have gone 7-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They are 11-14 overall in the national postseason.
- Thursday marked Mines' 15th appearance in the NCAA tournament and its first since 2022.
- In 2025, the Orediggers are 5-3 in five-set matches. In the NCAA tournament, Mines is now 3-6 in five-set thrillers.
- Donais Dudley's double-double against UCCS was the 29th of her career at Mines.
- Donais Dudley has now played in seven NCAA tournament matches for the Orediggers.
- Martinez' double-double was her 13th of the season and 22nd of her college career.
- With 26 digs on Thursday, Price moved to #9 in career digs at Mines with 1,208 across the last four seasons.
- Mines Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 384-146 in her 18th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces third-seeded Angelo State in the second round on Friday at 4 p.m. inside the Auraria Event Center on the campus of MSU Denver. Ticket, parking, and live coverage information can be found in the weekend preview.
 
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.