GOLDEN, Colo. – A pair of sweeps highlighted the start of the weekend for Mines volleyball as the Orediggers posted 3-0 wins against Cal State Dominguez Hills and Flagler on Friday at the 2026 Oredigger Volleyball Classic presented by Marriott Denver West inside Lockridge Arena.
Jenna McLaughlin led the offense with 22 kills across six sets and two matches while hitting .351 thanks to only two errors on 57 attempts. Other offensive powers for the home team included
Naomi Romslo touting 18 kills,
Caroline Walden with 17 kills,
Abbie O'Shay providing 15 kills at a .519 clip, and
Cadence McDonald's 12 kills. On defense, McLaughlin churned out 13 total blocks in six sets of action while
Francesca Nuzzo turned in 22 digs at the libero position. Also notable were three service aces from Nuzzo and
Kaiya Gilbert's 70 assists.
Mines (3-0) recorded a 3-0 start to its season for a second straight year. The Orediggers have started their season 3-0 11 times since 2010. They did it by hitting .307 on offense while limiting the combined attack to a .150 mark. Cal State Dominguez Hills (0-3) and Flagler (1-2) combined for 91 digs and 10 blocks, but couldn't offset eight service aces and 19 total blocks from the home team. Overall, Mines' opposition only managed 62 kills and seven aces in six sets of action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Friday started with a hard-fought match on the main court at Lockridge Arena. Despite its 2025 record and now 0-3 start to 2026, Cal State Dominguez Hills battled Mines to set scores of 25-23, 25-21, and 25-19. Unfortunately for the Torros, the Oredigger middle duo of
Abbie O'Shay and
Jenna McLaughlin hammered down a total of 23 kills as O'Shay hit .556 and McLaughlin hit .333. Gilbert's 37 assists in just three sets and five total blocks by McLaughlin proved helpful as well in the sweep.
Later in the day, Flagler, a conference tournament champion and NCAA tournament team last season, showed the toll of a late night Thursday followed by a sweep at the hands of Northern State to start the day Friday. The Orediggers rode Walden's seven kills on .545 hitting to a 25-19 win in the first set. A sudden burst of Saint energy in the second set couldn't stave off Mines' attack which was led by five kills apiece from Romslo and McLaughlin in a 25-23 win. The home team rode the momentum of that narrow win to a 25-13 victory in the third set thanks to six total blocks with McLaughlin providing four of the stuffs. That defensive production held Flagler to a negative attack percentage while Walden added four more kills in the 3-0 win.
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 2-0 all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
- The Orediggers also beat CSUDH on August 29, 1997, in five sets in Irvine, Calif.
- Friday marked the first-ever meeting between Mines and Flagler in volleyball – making the Orediggers 1-0 in the all-time series.
- Through three matches and 10 sets of action, McLaughlin is averaging 3.50 kills per set while hitting .373 with 15 blocks.
- McLaughlin went over 200 career blocks on Friday as well. She's in her third season with the Orediggers.
- Also notable, across the same span, are Romslo's 3.00 kills per set with a hitting percentage just under .300 on the outside. She also touts five service aces.
- O'Shay surpassed 200 collegiate kills and 100 collegiate blocks on the second day of the Oredigger Classic.
- Furthermore,
Avery Perreira went over 200 career digs.
- Mines Head Coach
Jamie Magalei is now 387-147 in her 19th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes its invitational event Saturday with the finale against Rockhurst at 3:30 p.m. in Lockridge Arena. Free live stats and video with a subscription to the RMAC Network will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
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.
