NAMPA, Idaho – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team defeated Westmont, 3-0, on Saturday as the Orediggers closed their trip to the Hampton Inn Nighthawks Classic hosted by Northwest Nazarene.
 
Jenna McLaughlin, Abbie O'Shay, Amanda Donais Dudley, and Naomi Romslo were Mines' kills leaders. McLaughlin posted 15 on .414 hitting to continue her hot streak. O'Shay finished boasting nine kills along with five total blocks. Donais Dudley and Romslo hammered out eight kills apiece. Jada Price did her part by adding 12 digs and two service aces. Francesca Nuzzo matched Price's digs and managed three total blocks. Also notable were four blocks by Donais Dudley and 34 assists from Hailee Martinez.
 
Mines (7-1) upped its season high attack percentage to .294 – the Orediggers' best attack percentage since Sept. 20, 2024. Westmont (4-2) worked four service aces, its only statistical edge in the match. The Orediggers' seven blocks as a team limited the Warriors to .092 on the attack. Other totals for Mines included 45 kills, 39 assists, two service aces, and 44 digs. The victory pushes the Orediggers to their best start to a season since the fall of 2021, and also marks Mines' first straight-set win of 2025.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite a 3-0 margin in sets, Saturday's match was far from an open-and-shut contest. The first game alone was tied six times and the lead exchanged hands four times. Westmont jumped to a 6-2 lead, but Mines responded with a 7-1 run which started with a Romslo kill. By the time the Warriors stemmed the tide, the Orediggers held a 17-13 cushion. After that, Westmont got close but couldn't quite catch Mines. An O'Shay kill followed by a O'Shay-Romslo block capped the 25-22 win. In the opening frame alone, McLaughlin totaled seven kills and Martinez handed out 13 assists.
 
Game two was another back-and-forth affair in the early going before another Oredigger surge made all the difference. Nuzzo hammered down a kill and knotted the set at nine. Eight of the nine following points went to Mines and made the score 16-10. The Warriors attempted to rally again, but the Orediggers successfully kept Westmont at a distance. McLaughlin slammed home the 25th point for a 25-19 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Defense highlighted the second set after Price stacked five more digs and O'Shay afforded Mines three additional blocks.
 
Nine more ties and multiple lead changes underscored what proved to be the final game of the day and the weekend for the Orediggers. The final margin was 25-18. McLaughlin and Romslo combined for nine kills, Martinez handed out 11 more assists, and Nuzzo stacked up six more digs to help Mines clinch the sweep of Westmont.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines now holds an all-time record of 5-3 at the Northwest Nazarene Tournament.
- The Orediggers are 1-0 after their first-ever meeting with Westmont.
- Mines last hit over .290 in a match on Sept. 20, 2024 at Chadron State.
- Martinez moved over 300 assists on the season and Price surpassed 100 digs.
- McLaughlin and O'Shay are both averaging more than 1.00 blocks per set, respectively.
- Mines Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 371-140 in her 18th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines starts RMAC play at home on Friday against #3 MSU Denver. live stats will be available, as well as live video 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 follow all of Mines Athletics year around on Facebook, "X", and Instagram at @MinesAthletics.