NAMPA, Idaho – Oredigger middle blocker Jenna McLaughlin came up huge for the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team Friday in a 3-1 win against Concordia University Irvine at the Hampton Inn Nighthawks Classic hosted by Northwest Nazarene.
 
McLaughlin's final line for the match included 18 kills on 32 attempts with zero attack errors for a .563 hitting percentage. She added two total blocks as well. Naomi Romslo and Amanda Donais Dudley added 12 kills apiece. Romslo's production came with a .360 attack percentage, three aces, two blocks, and six digs. Donais Dudley churned out one block and five digs. On defense, Jada Price stacked 14 digs across four sets and Abbie O'Shay put down four total blocks. Also notable were two aces each for Hailee Martinez and Francesca Nuzzo. Martinez put an exclamation point on the night by handing out 41 assists and grinding out nine digs.
 
As a team, Mines (6-1) posted a .289 attack percentage, the Orediggers' highest conversion rate in a match so far this year. The Golden Eagles (4-1) suffered their first loss of the season after committing 21 attack errors, 12 service errors, four blocking errors, and seven errors in serve receive. The final box score showed advantages for Mines in points, kills, aces, blocks, assists, and digs. However, CUI still managed a .221 attack percentage as a team. The final set scores were 25-20, 18-25, 25-21, and 25-21.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Five ties and two lead changes made the first frame the closest of the evening. An 8-0 surge even gave CUI a 14-10 lead around the midway point of the game. Then, a service error by the Golden Eagles and a McLaughlin kill sparked a 3-0 burst for Mines. Not long after, Donais Dudley pushed the Orediggers on another mini surge and the game was tied at 17-17 thanks to a Martinez ace. The final run started at 20-20 when Nuzzo hammered down a pass from Donais Dudley. Mines claimed the last five points as Donais Dudley served out the 25-20 win. A solo block by McLaughlin and another assisted block off the hands of McLaughlin and Nuzzo helped clinch a 1-0 lead in the match. McLaughlin finished the frame 6-for-8 on the attack, Martinez dished out 12 dimes, and Price put up five digs.
 
Game two saw CUI clap back by way of a 25-18 score which featured zero ties and zero lead changes while tying the match at 1-1. Despite the somewhat lopsided score, Romslo still managed four kills. Eventually, momentum returned to the Orediggers in game three. Again, no ties and no lead changes underscored the 25-21 victory for Mines. A 4-1 lead, while early, was enough for the Orediggers after five more kills on eight attempts by McLaughlin, three Romslo aces, and two blocks for O'Shay. What proved to be the final set of the evening did have five ties and one lead change. That lone lead change came after the Orediggers grinded their way back from a 9-5 deficit. McLaughlin tied the frame at 13 and then gave her squad the lead at 15-14. Mines never looked back. A 6-1 Oredigger run pushed the cushion to 21-16. A CUI surge forced a timeout by Mines, but a pair of Donais Dudley kills and a series of Golden Eagles' attack errors made the final margin and gave the Orediggers their sixth win of the season.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines now holds an all-time record of 4-3 at the Northwest Nazarene Tournament.
- The Orediggers improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against CUI.
- Mines last hit over .280 in a match on Sept. 20, 2024 at Chadron State.
- Avery Perreira made her 2025 debut for the Orediggers on Friday.
- In its last four matches, the Orediggers have handed three different teams their first loss of the season including #14 Grand Valley State, Seattle Pacific, and now CUI.
- McLaughlin's 18 kills against CUI marked a collegiate best.
- Similarly, Romslo had a career high with her trio of service aces and six digs against the Golden Eagles.
- Mines Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 370-140 in her 18th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes its trip to Idaho on Saturday with a match against Westmont at 11:30 a.m. Free live stats will be available, as well as live video with a subscription to the GNAC Network.
 
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.