Mines (7-1, 0-0 RMAC) vs. UCCS (4-4, 0-0 RMAC) – Friday, 6 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (7-1, 0-0 RMAC) at #18 MSU Denver (4-4, 0-0 RMAC) – Saturday, 4 p.m. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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RMAC ACTION BEGINS
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play has arrived for Mines volleyball. The Orediggers begin their conference slate this Friday, hosting UCCS at 6 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena before traveling to #18-ranked MSU Denver Saturday for a 4 p.m. match. Mines' first two RMAC contests are against the league's defending co-champions which gives the Orediggers a chance to set the tone early as the pursue their own RMAC crown.
 
FREE PIZZA!
Friday's match between Mines and UCCS will also include a "Slice, Set, Spike!" promotion in conjunction with Anthony's Pizza. There will be free Anthony's Pizza for Mines students in attendance. There will also be multiple student contests including a pizza box stacking competition for a chance at additional prizes. Oredigger students should plan to arrive early to take advantage of the entire promotion.
 
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). Alex Becker will provide play-by-play commentary for Friday's action. There will also be free live statistics which are linked above.
 
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.
 
IN THE POLLS
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) released its preseason coaches' poll last month which featured Mines in a tie for third. The Orediggers were tied with MSU Denver while UCCS sat atop the preseason predictions. Additionally, the latest AVCA-Taraflex Division II poll still has the Orediggers receiving votes for a third straight week. Other RMAC and South Central Region teams in the national rankings include #9 Angelo State and #18 MSU Denver. West Texas A&M, UT Tyler, Dallas Baptist, and Colorado Mesa are receiving votes as well.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs had a historic 2025 campaign which saw the Mountain Lions tie for #1 in the final RMAC standings. However, UCCS is just 4-4 in 2026 as conference play begins. The Mountain Lions went 1-3 to start the season at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic inside Lockridge Arena. They defeated Rockhurst and lost to Flagler, Northern State, and Cal Poly Humboldt. Last weekend, UCCS hosted its own invitational and went 3-1 with victories over Michigan Tech, Midwestern State, and St. Edward's The lone loss for the hosts came against league foe South Dakota Mines in straight sets. Payton Tompkins leads the UCCS offense with 3.31 kills per set on .243 hitting. She also has 11 service aces. On defense, Sydney Hyde owns the net with 1.03 blocks per set. Alysse Marcoso anchors the back row, touting 4.17 digs per set. As a team, the Mountain Lions are hitting .230 while holding opponents to .197 on the attack.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
Mines leads the all-time series against UCCS, 34-26. That advantage was fueled by 18 straight Oredigger wins from 2012-24. The Mountain Lions snapped the skid with two wins over Mines last season. However, the Orediggers won the last meeting which was a five-set thriller in the NCAA tournament at MSU Denver. That contest featured 15 kills and seven total blocks courtesy of Jenna McLaughlin. The last time UCCS defeated Mines in Golden was Sept. 15, 2012.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
Not only did MSU Denver tie for #1 in last year's RMAC standings, the Roadrunners also won the conference tournament and rolled to a NCAA Division II National Championship. After the national title run, Head Coach Jenny Glenn departed for the lead job at NCAA Division I American University. New MSU Denver skipper Stacie Meisner has her team sitting 4-4 after playing an extremely tough schedule to start the season. The Roadrunners were 3-1 after opening weekend in Michigan. Their only loss came at the hands of now-#1 Ferris State. Last weekend, MSU Denver teamed up with Regis to host the Colorado Premier, and the Roadrunners went 1-3 with losses to then-#21 Angelo State, then-#4 Concordia St. Paul, and a Central Missouri team which was receiving votes. Individually, Brooke Gennerman touts 4.11 kills per set on .275 hitting. Hayden Liebsack owns 16 service aces. Trynity Martin's 21 blocks come out to 0.78 blocks per set. Mia Accomazzo averages 3.41 digs per set. The Roadrunners' team attack percentage is .233. Their opponents' attack percentage thus far is .223.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE ROADRUNNERS
Despite winning the latest meeting with MSU Denver, Mines trails the all-time series, 72-22. The Orediggers swept the Roadrunners last October in Volk Gym with the visitors ranked #8 in the nation. Francesca Nuzzo hammered down 13 kills on .393 hitting. Also notable were 11 combined kills from Abbie O'Shay and Cadence McDonald. That win snapped Mines' seven-match skid against MSU Denver. The last time the Orediggers toppled MSU Denver on the Roadrunners' home court was Nov. 20, 2021, in the RMAC Tournament championship game with the home team ranked #1 in the nation.
 
LAST WEEK RECAP
Mines traveled to California last week for the Cal State East Bay Invitational. The Orediggers went 3-1 including three consecutive five-set decisions. They started with a 3-2 win over San Francisco State on Thursday. Friday's action included a 3-2 win against Northern Michigan before a 3-2 setback against host CSUEB. Mines finished the trip by sweeping Westmont on Saturday morning. Through the grind, Naomi Romslo totaled 48 kills and Jenna McLaughlin had 46 kills while hitting .367. Kaiya Gilbert churned out 160 assists, 41 digs, 10 total blocks, and 10 kills on .360 hitting. At the net, McLaughlin produced 21 total blocks while Cadence McDonald and Abbie O'Shay posted 14 apiece.
 
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 (391-148) 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 391-148 (.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. List also ranks second in overall winning percentage behind Magalei.
 
UP NEXT
Mines travels to New Mexico Highlands for a match on Friday, Sept. 18, and then faces Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., on Saturday, Sept. 19.
 
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.