GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Mines volleyball spoiled Colorado Mesa's Homecoming Weekend with a 3-0 win Saturday evening at Brownson Arena.
Jenna McLaughlin and
Cadence McDonald guided the offense with 11 kills apiece. McLaughlin hit .524 thanks to zero attack errors while adding three blocks. McDonald converted at .333 and also applied three total blocks to the box score. In the end, the biggest highlight was
Francesca Nuzzo's 25 digs. She also had five assists. At setter,
Kaiya Gilbert, also referred to as Kayla Gilbert on the RMAC stream, churned out 37 assists, seven digs, three kills on .500 hitting, two blocks, and one ace.
Caroline Walden added nine kills,
Sophia Davila had two aces, and
Abbie O'Shay tallied three blocks.
With the win, Mines (17-3, 8-2 RMAC) pushed its program record sweep streak to 10. The Orediggers hit .343 with 59.0 points, 46 kills, five aces, eight total blocks, 46 assists, and 54 digs. In comparison, Colorado Mesa (16-4, 8-2 RMAC) recorded 45 points, 38 kills, two aces, five total blocks, 36 assists, and 43 digs. The victory snapped CMU's seven-match win streak. It also marked CMU's first home loss since Oct. 21, 2025.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines dominated the opening set, 25-14, thanks to zero attack errors and three total blocks as a team. McLaughlin was the headline with six error-free kills and two total blocks. The second set was far more competitive as Colorado Mesa forced 10 ties and six lead changes. In the end, the Orediggers surged behind McDonald's six kills, Gilbert's 12 assists, and Nuzzo's nine digs. Mines clinched the sweep with a 25-20 win. There were nine ties and three lead changes. However, it wasn't that close when factoring Walden's four kills, Gilbert's 12 assists, Nuzzo's 12 digs, and O'Shay's three blocks.
NOTABLES
- Mines now trails Colorado Mesa 48-24-1, but the Orediggers are 5-5 in the last 10 meetings with the Mavericks.
- The last time Mines swept CMU in Grand Junction was Oct. 29, 2022.
- The Orediggers have posted 12 straight-set victories in 2026.
- Mines hasn't lost a set since Sept. 18.
- Saturday's .343 attack percentage by the Orediggers was their fourth-highest attack percentage of the season.
- Mines Head Coach
Jamie Magalei is now 401-150 in her 19th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts the RMAC regional pod including Colorado Mesa and Westminster next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
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.
