GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team took a 3-1 win from Rockhurst Saturday to improve to 4-0 in the 2026 Oredigger Volleyball Classic presented by Marriott Denver West.
Once again,
Jenna McLaughlin spearheaded the winning effort by knocking down 15 kills with a .538 attack percentage while adding five total blocks, two digs and one assist.
Cadence McDonald stepped up as well with 14 kills at a .423 clip.
Naomi Romslo made it a trio of Orediggers with double-digit kills, touting 10 along with five total blocks and one service ace. Also notable on offense were nine kills from
Caroline Walden who hit .444. Defensively,
Francesca Nuzzo anchored the back row with 17 digs. She chipped in two service aces as well.
Avery Perreira added 11 digs and
Abbie O'Shay posted four total blocks. At setter,
Kaiya Gilbert emerged with 48 assists at 12.00 assists per set. Her match resume also included five digs, two blocks, and two service aces.
Mines' 4-0 start is the Orediggers' second in as many seasons. They did it by hitting .326 as a team while totaling 13 blocks. Rockhurst (1-3) were limited to a .193 attack percentage and only managed four blocks. The Hawks had more service aces than the Orediggers and nearly matched the home team's kill count, but the defense at 75 points for Mines offset any advantage for the visitors. Out of eight teams competing at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic, Mines was the only program to go undefeated.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After waiting out delays due to long-lasting matches and narrow schedule windows, Mines powered to a 25-22, set-one victory in the finale by hitting .433 and knocking down four total blocks. McLaughlin and McDonald combined for nine kills on 13 attempts with zero errors in the frame. Nuzzo also had five digs. The second set yielded an identical score in favor of the Orediggers, but this time it was O'Shay and Walden combining for nine kills with just one error. Mines' offense fell off in the third set, converting on offense at just .258. Rockhurst took advantage and edged out its own 25-22 win to avoid the sweep. Ten ties and seven lead changes highlighted the fourth set. In a back-and-forth affair, the Orediggers look to their defense and it delivered with five blocks and eight combined digs off the hands of Perreira and Nuzzo. The match-clinching point was a resounding solo block by
Emily Rohrer.
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 1-1 in the all-time series against Rockhurst. The teams last met in Grand Junction in September of 2004 and RU won in four sets.
- The last time the Orediggers started back-to-back seasons 4-0 was 2015 and 2016 and that was the first time in program history.
- McLaughlin went over 500 career kills on Saturday.
- Nuzzo, surpassed 400 digs as an Oredigger thanks to 17 against Rockhurst.
- Romslo's 10 kills helped her break 300 as a collegian.
- Mines Head Coach
Jamie Magalei is now 388-147 in her 19th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines heads to the Cal State East Bay Tournament next weekend in Hayward, Calif. Check
www.minesathletics.com later in the week for live coverage in formation.
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.
