Mines (11-3, 2-2 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (7-6, 4-1 RMAC) – Friday, 6 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (11-3, 2-2 RMAC) vs. CSU Pueblo (8-8, 3-2 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

---

HOMECOMING WEEKEND
Homecoming Weekend has arrived for Colorado School of Mines, and the Oredigger volleyball team will celebrate with home matches against Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo. After last week's regional pod, Mines remains .500 in conference play. Two wins this weekend could put the Orediggers close to the top of the RMAC standings. A pair of victories would also extend Mines' win streak to six.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print tickets at home ahead of time by going to www.minesathletics.com/tickets. Adults are $10. Children, seniors, and military are $5. Mines faculty, staff, and students receive complimentary admission and can obtain tickets by logging in at tickets.minesathletics.com with their Mines single sign-on. Additionally, children age 11 and under are free.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend will stream exclusively on the RMAC Network (pay-per-view). There will also be free live statistics which are linked above. Kienan will provide play-by-play commentary for Saturday's showdown.
 
RMAC NETWORK
The RMAC Network continues to have 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 $12.50, 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.
 
GILBERT WINS AGAIN
Oredigger true freshman Kaiya Gilbert was voted the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Setter of the Week Monday after helping Mines volleyball to a pair of sweeps last week. It marked the second straight award for Gilbert and the third of the season. The Castle Rock, Colo., native finished the last week touting 56 assists at 9.33 assists per set while adding six error-free kills on .600 hitting, 16 digs, five total blocks, and three service aces. Her efforts helped the Orediggers sweep Colorado Christian in Lakewood, Colo., on Friday with a 3-0 victory at home against #24 MSU Denver on Saturday. For the week, Gilbert's assist numbers ranked #2 in the RMAC and her service production was top-10 in the conference. Through 14 matches, Gilbert is top-25 in the nation in both total assists and assists per set.
 
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
Mines has now won four straight matches without dropping a single set. The run of sweeps started at New Mexico Highlands on Sept. 18, and continued at Adams State on Sept. 19, at Colorado Christian on Sept. 25, and inside Lockridge Arena on Sept. 26. Cadence McDonald and Jenna McLaughlin have led the offense during the streak with McDonald averaging 3.25 kills per set on .301 hitting while McLaughlin has posted 34 kills with a .392 attack percentage. On defense, McLaughlin has averaged 1.42 blocks per set, and Francesca Nuzzo has churned out 5.08 digs per set. Kaiya Gilbert's 10.67 assists per set along with nine kills, five service aces, 30 digs, and eight blocks have been the cherry on top.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
From Sept. 3 through Sept. 25, the Orediggers played eight of their nine matches away from home. During that span, Mines went 6-3 overall. Cadence McDonald hammered out 84 kills with a .308 attack percentage and McLaughlin collected 95 kills while hitting .363. At setter, Kaiya Gilbert averaged 9.79 assists per set with 25 kills, 92 digs, 18 total blocks, and eight service aces. Francesca Nuzzo led the back row by providing 4.53 digs per set. McLaughlin owned the net thanks to 41 total blocks at 1.21 blocks per set. That span of away matches included Mines' only three losses of the season which were to Cal State East Bay, UCCS, and MSU Denver.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian started its week with a four-set victory at home against CSU Pueblo. That win pushed the Cougars to 7-6 (4-1 RMAC). Despite sitting just one game above .500, CCU has thrived in conference play thanks to wins against Chadron State, Regis, South Dakota Mines, and CSU Pueblo. The Cougars' only league loss so far has been to Black Hills State. That being said, MSU Denver and Mines both swept Colorado Christian during the regional pod. Individually, Sienna Thatcher's 154 kills lead CCU. Krista Traynor is averaging 6.72 assists per set while boasting 20 service aces. She also has four triple-doubles this season. The defense is anchored by Allie Allen's 3.42 digs per set and Ana Aguilar's 1.13 blocks per set.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE COUGARS
Mines and Colorado Christian faced off just a week ago during the RMAC Regional Pod. The Orediggers dominated the Cougars in Lakewood with set wins of 25-11, 25-15, and 25-20. Cadence McDonald put down 10 kills on .320 hitting. Francesca Nuzzo posted 20 digs. Jenna McLaughlin and Abbie O'Shay had four blocks apiece. The win pushed Mines to 46-27 all-time against CCU. It's the Orediggers' third straight win against the Cougars since 2025.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
Colorado State University Pueblo was previously 8-7 (3-1 RMAC), but Tuesday's loss at Colorado Christian dropped the ThunderWolves to 8-8 (3-2 RMAC). The decision also snapped a modest, three-match win streak for CSUP. The Pack's .500 record is mostly due to a rough non-conference slate which saw them go 3-7 while facing #21 Angelo State, #25 West Texas A&M, and a Minnesota Duluth team that was receiving votes at the time. The ThunderWolves bounced back in conference play by beating Regis and Chadron State before losing to South Dakota Mines. Last week, during the pod, CSU Pueblo defeated Regis and UCCS. Lilly Zwart is the team's top hitter with 187 kills at 2.88 kills per set. Madison Gardner has 14 service aces. Chinaru Pao averages 4.05 digs per set. Both Finja Schul and Andi Nothdurft have collected 76.0 blocks apiece. As a team, CSU Pueblo ranks #5 in the nation in blocks per set and #3 in total blocks. That has helped The Pack limit opponents to a .180 attack percentage. However, CSUP has only hit .197 through 16 matches on offense.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE THUNDERWOLVES
Mines trails CSU Pueblo in the all-time volleyball series, 45-35. That margin is due to 17 consecutive wins for the ThunderWolves from 1985-1992. The Orediggers narrowed the gap by winning 10 straight from 2012-19. Three of the last four matches have gone to CSU Pueblo, but Mines is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings with the ThunderWolves. Last year's lone showdown between the Orediggers and The Pack was in Pueblo. The home team won in three sets despite ten McLaughlin kills.
 
LOOKING BACK
The Orediggers had a successful RMAC Regional Pod last week. In a pair of non-conference matches against league opponents, Mines swept Colorado Christian on the road and swept then-#24 MSU Denver at home. Cadence McDonald had 10 kills on .320 hitting at CCSU while Jenna McLaughlin and Abbie O'Shay combined for four blocks each. The Orediggers hit .288 as a team and limited the Cougars to a .035 attack percentage. Saturday's match against the defending national champions saw 11 more kills off the hand of McDonald at a .300 clip. O'Shay chipped in nine kills on .381 hitting. McLaughlin walked away boasting six total blocks. Kaiya Gilbert finished the sweep with 30 assists, seven digs, three aces, two kills, and two blocks.
 
AT THE HELM
The 2026 season marks the 19th with Jamie Magalei at the helm for Mines volleyball. She's the program's all-time leader in total wins (395-150) and win percentage (.725) by a large margin. Magalei is also the longest-tenured and winningest head coach among current RMAC skippers. Furthermore, the North Dakota native entered the 2026 season ranked 18th in winning percentage and 38th in total wins among active DII head coaches. She surpassed 300 career wins in 2021. She's one of six to reach the milestone while coaching in the RMAC. Through the 2025 season, Magalei has coached 32 all-America selections, three CSC Academic All-Americans, and 72 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) and 14 overall. She 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.
 
MAGALEI LEADS THE RMAC
As referenced above, Mines Head Coach Jamie Magalei is the longest-tenured and winningest head coach among current RMAC skippers. At 395-150 (.725) overall, she's nearly 200 wins ahead of Grayson DuBose at Black Hills State who is just in his second season at BHSU but his 16th overall. Magalei's also nearly 200 wins ahead of Colorado Christian's Bobby Blanken who entered his 10th season at CCU with 192 victories. Regis' Joel List is also entering his 10th season at Regis which ties him and Blanken for the second-longest tenure in the RMAC among active head coaches.
 
UP NEXT
Mines hosts Western Colorado next Friday and Fort Lewis next Saturday. It marks the end of a five-match home stand for the Orediggers.
 
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.