CHADRON, Neb. – After concluding its 2026 home schedule with a pair of matches last weekend, Chadron State volleyball has one match remaining in the regular season coming up this Friday as the Eagles take on Colorado School of Mines in Golden.
The Eagles (10-15, 3-10 RMAC) have played a conference-leading 55 sets in RMAC matches and suffered a sixth five-set loss of the season to Colorado Mesa last Friday. Colorado School of Mines (21-3, 10-2 RMAC) is ranked No. 20 in the nation, enters on a 14-match win streak, and will be fighting for an RMAC title this weekend.
Numbers to know
- 2007: CSC's most recent win over Regis prior to last Tuesday's five-set victory
- 7: Five-set conference matches played by CSC this season
- 2.79: combined blocks per set by CSC's Sarah Meservey (1.34) and CSM's Jenna McLaughlin (1.45), the top two in the RMAC and two of the top eight in Division II
- 1: Team in the RMAC that finishes its season on Friday (Chadron State)
People are also reading…
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
Chadron State started a three-match week by surviving a comeback attempt to defeat Regis in five sets. Then, the Eagles lost by the minimum amount – two points in a fifth set – to a Colorado Mesa team receiving votes nationally before a straight-sets setback to Westminster on Senior Night.
RECAPS: Tuesday (Regis) | Friday (CMU) | Saturday (Westminster)
The win over Regis broke a 20-year losing streak to the Rangers, who had won the past 27 meetings. The win also put CSC over 10 wins for the season, putting the Eagles into double digits for the first time since 2023, third time in coach Jennifer Stadler's tenure and only the fifth time in the last 20 seasons.
After Saturday night's match against Westminster, the Eagles honored eight seniors who have now played their final match in the Chicoine Center – Kiera Alfred, Gibson Beckler, Katie Bell, Cydnie Eskew, Kally Kirkwood, Avery Lacy, Josie Loosvelt and Naomi Starr.
On the Loosvelt
Senior defensive specialist Josie Loosvelt has played in 66 matches and over 200 sets in her Chadron State career, but waited till her Senior Night week to put up some of her biggest numbers as an Eagle.
Loosvelt set a new career high with 22 digs in the win over Regis, then followed it up with 17 digs the next match against Colorado Mesa. Both of those totals exceeded Loosvelt's previous career high of 16 from September 19, 2025, against Colorado Christian.
The York, Nebraska, native also stood out on the service line. Loosvelt entered the week with eight career aces, but hit seven across last week's three matches to bring that career total to 15 and her season total to 11.
Loosvelt tied a previous career high with two aces against Regis, then immediately doubled it by hitting four against Colorado Mesa last Friday.
League leaders
Chadron State has been one of the best teams in the RMAC at denying opponent attacks.
The Eagles lead the conference in both total digs (1,654) and digs per set (16.88), despite playing more RMAC sets than any other team.
Individually, it has been a team effort on Chadron State's league-leading dig total. Avery Lacy ranks eighth in the RMAC with 4.32 digs per set, but no other Eagle ranks in the conference's top 15. CSC has nine players averaging over a dig per set having played 45 sets or more – beyond Lacy, Jillian Donovan (2.17 per set), Josie Loosvelt (2.12), Kali Reiners (1.89), Gibson Beckler (1.87), Shelby Harding (1.60), Cydnie Eskew (1.27), Mataya Ward (1.24) and Brandi Helzer (1.23) are all above that marker.
Right back at 'ya
It's not just keeping opponent attacks up from the back row. The Eagles are also among the blocking leaders in not just the RMAC, but Division II.
Chadron State ranks 15th in the nation (third in the RMAC) in team total blocks with 224. They are also third in the RMAC in blocks per set (2.29), ranking 21st in Division II.
Much of that strength is based on Sarah Meservey, a junior from Spanish Fork, Utah, and a Central Wyoming College transfer. Meservey, who stands 6-foot-2, leads the RMAC in total blocks with 131, the sixth-most in Division II. Meservey averages 1.34 blocks per set on her own, eighth-best in the country.
Chadron State's opposition on Friday is a top blocking team in its own right. Colorado School of Mines ranks third in Division II in blocks per set (2.70), while the Orediggers' Jenna McLaughlin is second in the nation individually (1.45 per set).
Stat standouts
- Chadron State ranks 10th in the RMAC in kills per set (11.85) and hitting percentage (.183).
- Chadron State's best single-match team hitting percentage (.290 vs. Black Hills State) and worst (.085 vs. Western Colorado) came on back-to-back matches on October 22-23.
- The Eagles lead the RMAC in digs per set (16.88) and also rank third in blocks per set (2.29).
- Sarah Meservey leads the RMAC in total blocks (131) but ranks second in blocks per set (1.34). She is within the top 10 in Division II in both categories, ranking sixth in the nation in total blocks and eighth in blocks per set.
- Meservey tied a single-match individual program record with 13 blocks (including two solo) against South Dakota Mines in September 2024, winning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
- Avery Lacy ranks eighth in the league in digs per set (4.32) and is third in the RMAC in total digs (423).
- Jillian Donovan ranks seventh in the conference in assists per set (6.19) and total assists (582).
- Mataya Ward ranks fifth in the league in kills per set (3.22) and points per set (3.70).
- The Eagles have heavily featured Mataya Ward and Gibson Beckler in their attack. Ward ranks fourth in the RMAC in attack attempts per set (9.33) while Beckler is eighth with 8.74 attack attempts per set.
Here for a while
No RMAC team has played more sets in conference matches than Chadron State's 55.
Colorado Christian and Fort Lewis are tied for the second-most RMAC sets played during conference matches with 52 each. Two other schools are at 38 while six other programs are at 37. Only four of Chadron State's 13 RMAC matches have gone the minimum three sets.
Chadron State had exactly four five-set matches in each of the entire 2024 and 2025 seasons – the Eagles are currently at eight in 2026 with one match left to play. The Eagles are 2-6 in five-setters.
1,000 club
Two Eagle student-athletes have reached important career milestones this season, with Jillian Donovan moving past 1,000 career assists and Avery Lacy moving past 1,000 career digs.
Donovan is at 1,237 career assists and counting and is only a sophomore. The Lincoln native has exceeded 30 assists in a match six times so far this season after doing so 11 times as a true freshman.
On the week she surpassed 1,000, Lacy tied a career high with 32 digs in the five-setter against Adams State, then followed it up with 28 digs against Highlands. Lacy is at 1,115 career digs and counting.
NPI check-in
For the first time this season, the field for the NCAA Tournament in each sport for Division II and Division III is being determined by the NCAA Power Index (NPI).
NPI is a mathematical formula instituted to remove the human subjectivity around the previous system of regional rankings committees. To learn more about the NPI system and how it is calculated, click here.
As of the November 3 data, Chadron State is ranked No. 25 out of 33 teams in the South Central region. Eight teams from the South Central region will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
There are four RMAC teams in the top eight of the latest rankings update – Colorado School of Mines as the No. 2 seed, Colorado Mesa at No. 4, MSU Denver at No. 5 and South Dakota Mines at No. 8. UCCS is the first team out right now at No. 9 with Colorado Christian just behind at No. 10. Lone Star Conference teams Angelo State (No. 1), Dallas Baptist (No. 3), UT Tyler (No. 6) and St. Edward's (No. 7) make up the other spots.
Because NPI values strength of schedule and weights home and away results differently, the formula rankings can certainly change between now and the end of the regular season.
RMAC update
Colorado School of Mines is the RMAC's lone ranked team in the AVCA National Coaches Poll at No. 20 overall while Colorado Mesa and MSU Denver are receiving votes.
The RMAC title is still up for grabs – MSU Denver (11-1) holds a one-game lead and would clinch a sixth consecutive RMAC title if they don't slip up against either Adams State and New Mexico Highlands. If the Roadrunners drop one (or two) matches, Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Mesa are a match behind. Chadron State can play spoiler by denying Mines an opportunity to catch MSU Denver for the RMAC title.
At the other end of the RMAC Championship bracket, Fort Lewis is also clinging to the No. 8 seed, with a one-game lead over CSU Pueblo.
Here is a look at the current RMAC standings:
- #RV MSU Denver (11-1 RMAC, 18-6 overall)
- #20 Colo. Sch. Of Mines (10-2 RMAC, 21-3 overall)
- #RV Colorado Mesa (10-2 RMAC, 19-5 overall)
- UCCS (9-3 RMAC, 14-10 overall)
- South Dakota Mines (8-4 RMAC, 18-6 overall)
- Colorado Christian (8-4 RMAC, 13-9 overall)
- Adams State (7-5 RMAC, 13-13 overall)
- Fort Lewis (6-6 RMAC, 13-11 overall)
- CSU Pueblo (5-7 RMAC, 11-14 overall)
- Western Colorado (4-8 RMAC, 10-14 overall)
- Black Hills State (4-8 RMAC, 9-15 overall)
- Westminster (3-9 RMAC, 4-20 overall)
- Chadron State (3-10 RMAC, 10-15 overall)
- Regis (2-11 RMAC, 4-22 overall)
- New Mexico Highlands (1-11 RMAC, 3-23 overall)
# = ranking in AFCA Poll | RV = "receiving votes" in top 25
Scouting the Orediggers
Colorado School of Mines is on a tear. The Orediggers (21-3, 10-2 RMAC) are the only team in the conference ranked in the AVCA national poll at No. 20 overall, improving from No. 22 a week ago and No. 25 prior to that.
Mines is riding a 14-match win streak entering Friday's matchup and had a run of 40 consecutive sets won up until the Orediggers pulled out a five-set victory on Saturday over South Dakota Mines. Their only RMAC losses have been to UCCS and MSU Denver on the first weekend of RMAC play on September 11-12 – Mines has not lost since.
The Orediggers have dominated RMAC Player of the Week awards throughout the season, with Jenna McLaughlin winning four (one offensive, three defensive) and Kaiya Gilbert winning four Setter of the Week awards. Francesca Nuzzo will enter as the reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week.
The Orediggers rank second in the RMAC in kills per set and lead in blocks per set. McLaughlin leads the RMAC in hitting percentage (.387) and is seventh in kills per set (3.06) while also leading in blocks per set (1.45). Gilbert leads the RMAC in assists per set (10.11) while Nuzzo ranks sixth in the RMAC in digs per set (4.48).
Head coach Jamie Magalei is in her 19th season as head coach. In her previous 18, Magalei has won six RMAC regular season titles, five RMAC Tournament titles and made 14 NCAA tournament appearances.
5-for-5
Under a new eligibility ruling passed by the NCAA this summer, all NCAA student-athletes will have five years of eligibility upon entry to college while developmental redshirts and medical waivers that previously could grant another year of eligibility have been eliminated – with exceptions for military service, religious missions and pregnancy.
To accommodate this new system, Chadron State is changing how student-athletes are labeled on its sport rosters – 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 if they played or not during those seasons) and has three years of eligibility remaining, including 2026.
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.
