GOLDEN, Colo. – The second-seeded and #19-ranked Colorado School of Mines volleyball team defeated seventh-seeded Colorado Christian, 3-1, Tuesday night at Lockridge Arena and advanced into the semifinals of the 2026 RMAC tournament.
Caroline Walden led all players in the quarterfinal match with 17 kills. She also had three total blocks and three digs.
Jenna McLaughlin did her part by providing 15 kills on .412 hitting while adding eight total blocks, eight digs, and one service ace.
Abbie O'Shay made it a trio with double-digit kills for the home team. She finished touting 10 and one solo block. Setter
Kaiya Gilbert went off for a 41-assist, 17-dig double-double with one block and two error-free kills. Also notable were 12 digs and one ace by
Francesca Nuzzo, and
Avery Perreira's 11 digs and two aces.
Mines (24-3) worked through an uncharacteristic team attack percentage of .200 with 56 kills to get the win. Colorado Christian (13-12) had more blocks, digs, and aces than the home team, but only managed 44 kills on .180 hitting. The victory pushed the Orediggers' program-record win streak to 17. With the loss, CCU saw its 2026 campaign come to a close. Prior to the match, Mines recognized Head Coach
Jamie Magalei's 400th career win with a commemorative ball presented by Director of Athletics
David Hansburg.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tuesday's match started with the visitors ready to roll and Mines on its heels early. The Cougars leapt to a 4-1 lead and didn't look back. They dominated the entire set, winning 25-11 behind a .357 attack percentage while holding the Orediggers to negative hitting. That proved to be CCU's high point of the evening after Mines won game two, 25-21. McLaughlin fueled that victory with seven kills on .500 hitting while
Kaiya Gilbert grinded out six digs and 10 assists. A pivotal third set also went to the home team by an identical score. This time, O'Shay and Walden shouldered the offensive load with five kills each. Gilbert produced seven more digs and 12 assists as well. Finally, in the fourth set, Mines' offensive efficiency peaked with a team hitting percentage of .319. Walden exploded for seven error-free kills in the frame and McLaughlin went for five more kills on .714 hitting. Gilbert's 14 assists were the icing on the cake as the Orediggers won – again – 25-21.
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 48-27 in the volleyball rivalry against Colorado Christian.
- The Orediggers have taken five straight matches from the Cougars including three this season.
- Tuesday marked the first postseason meeting between Mines and CCU since 2012.
- Tuesday was also the Orediggers' first RMAC tournament win since 2022.
- Walden's 17 kills were a career high for the true freshman and she matched her career best in blocks.
- McLaughlin, a middle blocker, set her new single-match high in digs with eight.
- McLaughlin also moved into a tie for #3 in the program record book for total blocks in a season with 140. She's tied with Angie Schmitz who had 140 in 1994.
- Furthermore, McLaughlin took sole possession of #3 in the Mines record book for block assists in a season with 113, which surpassed Amanda Rebol's 111 from 2005.
- Gilbert surpassed 900 assists for the season and her career.
- Mines Head Coach
Jamie Magalei is now 408-150 in her 19th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces third-seeded Colorado Mesa in a RMAC semifinal on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. on the campus of MSU Denver.
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.
