CHADRON, Neb. – After winning the final three games of nonconference play, Chadron State will open RMAC play and compete in the Chicoine Center for the first time in 2026 when the Eagles face Colorado Christian on Friday and CSU Pueblo on Saturday, with first serve for both scheduled for 6 p.m.
Chadron State (5-3) will have a winning record coming into its first RMAC game for the first time since 2023. The Eagles will ride a three-match win streak into the weekend while Colorado Christian (3-3) and CSU Pueblo (3-6) have both lost two straight.
Numbers to know
- 2.26: Blocks per set by the Eagles this season, ranking third in the RMAC.
- 5: Number of wins for CSC in 2025, already matched through eight games by the 2026 team.
- 8: Number of matches in the Chicoine Center this season for Chadron State, the first two of which are this weekend.
- 11: Margin of victory in the first set (25-14) in CSC's most recent match against Sioux Falls, the largest of the season so far for the Eagles.
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How to go
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at the door or ahead of time at chadroneagles.com/tickets. Season tickets are available at the same link.
New in 2026: Chadron State is now selling "Court Sport" passes – one season ticket that provides admission to every home event in the Chicoine Center (volleyball, basketball and wrestling) throughout the 2026-27 season.
Court Sport season tickets are $175 for an adult and $95 for a child, senior or military member and grant entry to over 25 home dates for that price.
Promotional notes
Saturday night's game will be a black out, matching CSC's jersey for the matchup against CSU Pueblo.
How to tune in
For the second straight year, the RMAC Network is under a pay-per-view model, with single-game, monthly and annual subscription options to watch all of Chadron State's home games and away conference games.
PURCHASE: RMAC NETWORK
Fans can purchase monthly subscriptions to the RMAC Network for $25 or annual passes for $130. Those prices are both unchanged from the 2025-26 season.
All remaining Chadron State regular-season volleyball games, both home and away, will be on the network.
Fans can also follow along via live stats and on social media (@cscvolleyball on X/Twitter, csc.volleyball on Instagram).
Looking back
After a classic-opening loss to Augustana, Chadron State volleyball won its next three matches, defeating Upper Iowa in four sets and UMary in three sets before a significant four-set win over Sioux Falls on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles combined for 15 aces and 17 blocks across their two wins on Saturday.
Chadron State had lost three consecutive meetings against Sioux Falls dating back to the 2015 season. Chadron State's four-set victory over USF came just one day after the Cougars fell by the same margin (in four sets) to No. 6 Washburn and in five sets to Emporia State, a team receiving votes in the AVCA poll.
5-for-5
Under a new eligibility ruling passed by the NCAA this summer, all NCAA student-athletes will have five years of eligibility while developmental redshirts and medical waivers that previously could grant another year of eligibility have been eliminated.
To accommodate this new system, Chadron State is changing how student-athletes are labeled on the football roster – using the term "freshman" for a player in their first year of college, "sophomore" for a player in their second, "junior," "senior" and "fifth-year," regardless of whether the player has previously received a redshirt year.
For example, a player now being referred to as a "junior" has been with Chadron State or another college volleyball program for two seasons (regardless of whether they played during those seasons) and has three years of eligibility remaining, including 2026.
Hot streak
Chadron State's current three-match win streak is CSC volleyball's longest since a five-match win streak from Sept. 22-Oct. 6, 2023.
That streak took place against RMAC opposition, with the Eagles defeating Western Colorado (3-0) and Fort Lewis (3-2) before sweeping a nonconference regional pod week against South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State and earning another RMAC win over UCCS in three sets.
During that 2023 season, the Eagles went on to finish 15-12 (8-6 RMAC), making the RMAC Tournament for the first time in 20 seasons.
Beckler comes up big
Senior Gibson Beckler had her two best offensive games of the season last Saturday for Chadron State.
Beckler led the team with 16 kills in a three-set win over UMary, then added a team-high 12 kills in the win over Sioux Falls, her top two totals of the year so far. Beckler hit .273 against the Marauders and .242 against USF, and her .206 season hitting percentage is second-highest on the team.
A well-rounded player who finished in the team's top five of all five main statistical categories last season – kills, assists, digs, blocks and aces – Beckler is again near the top of several leaderboards for the Eagles. In 2026, Beckler is second on the team with 69 kills, is third with 60 digs and is fifth with 10 blocks.
Stat standouts
- Avery Lacy ranks second in the RMAC in aces per set (0.56). Her 15 total aces are tied for second in the conference.
- Lacy also ranks fourth in the league in digs per set (4.44). Her 120 total digs rank seventh.
- Sarah Meservey ranks second in the RMAC with 1.22 blocks per set. Her 33 total blocks are tied for fourth, while her six solo blocks are tied for fifth.
- Jillian Donovan ranks fourth in the conference in assists per set (6.19). Her 161 total assists rank seventh.
- Mataya Ward ranks 12th in the RMAC in kills per set (2.89) and total kills (78). The Belle Fourche, South Dakota, native also ranks 15th in the RMAC in total points per set (3.22).
Scouting the Cougars
Colorado Christian will enter Friday night's match with a 3-3 record. The Cougars went 2-1 in Golden, Colorado, winning in five sets over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Northern State while losing in four to Cal Poly Humboldt. Last weekend, they lost to Dallas Baptist and No. 11 Point Loma while defeating Winona State in four sets.
Reigning All-American Renee Phillips does not return. This year, a well-rounded attack features senior Krista Traynor (56 kills), sophomore Sienna Thatcher (56) and senior Suzanna Conner (53). Traynor also leads the team with 118 assists and 12 service aces.
Head coach Bobby Blanken is in his 10th season in 2026. CCU's crowning achievement during Blanken's tenure was the 2024 season, when the Cougars upset higher seeds in back-to-back RMAC Tournament matches to reach the finals of the conference tournament and help secure the first NCAA Tournament berth since 2012. Last season, Colorado Christian finished 12-14 overall (7-7 RMAC) and missed the conference tournament on a tiebreaker.
Scouting the ThunderWolves
CSU Pueblo will enter the weekend with a 3-6 record. The ThunderWolves began the season competitively with a five-set loss to MSU Moorhead and a five-set home win over No. 25 West Texas A&M, but endured a 1-3 home classic last weekend, including a loss to conference foe Fort Lewis in addition to Adelphi and Minnesota Duluth. CSU Pueblo's win came in four sets against Florida Tech.
The ThunderWolves feature a pair of imposing middle blockers, as Finja Schul (39 total blocks) and Andi Nothdurft (38) rank second and third, respectively, in the conference. Lilly Zwart ranks fourth in the league with 106 kills, while Chinaru Pao is second in the RMAC in total digs (146).
The ThunderWolves finished third in the RMAC last season with an 11-3 conference record and were picked fifth in the league poll this year. Head coach Jordan Bruere is in her second season as head coach at her alma mater after spending two seasons leading RMAC foe Western Colorado.
Coach's corner
Head coach Jennifer Stadler will begin her eighth season in charge of the Chadron State volleyball program in 2025, accumulating a 56-115 record in her first seven seasons.
Prior to CSC, Stadler coached for eight seasons at Sheridan College in Wyoming, racking up three straight 20-win seasons from 2012-2014. She was a player, assistant coach and interim head coach at current RMAC foe Black Hills State, back when the Yellow Jackets competed in the Dakota Athletic Conference.
In her first year at CSC in 2019, Stadler immediately led the Eagles to a winning record of 14-12 and coached the RMAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in Ashton Burditt. The Eagles had a banner year in 2023, finishing 15-12 for the program's highest win total since 2003. Chadron also had an 8-6 conference mark in 2023, finishing sixth in the league and qualifying for the RMAC Tournament for the first time in 20 years.
