COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced the latest Volleyball Player of the Week winners on Monday, with Colorado Mesa University’s Ashlee Macias joining Colorado School of Mines’ Jenna McLaughlin and Kaiya Gilbert as the Week 6 award winners. Macias claims the league’s offensive award, while McLaughlin and Gilbert are the defensive and setter honorees, respectively.

Offensive
Ashlee Macias, Colorado Mesa (Junior, Outside Hitter, El Paso, Texas)
Macias earned the league’s Offensive Player of the Week honor after leading the Mavericks to a perfect 2-0 week against Western Colorado University and Fort Lewis College. The junior from El Paso, Texas, opened the week with a 12-kill performance against the Mountaineers, hitting .500 as the Mavericks cruised to a three-set home sweep. Macias continued to pace the Mavericks’ offensive attack Saturday against Fort Lewis, recording a season-high 19 kills in four sets. She hit .424 and averaged 4.75 kills per set to help CMU claim set victories of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-16. Across the two matches, Macias totaled 31 kills, a .453 hitting percentage, two assists, 4.43 kills per set and 35.5 total points.

Others Nominated: Carolisa Folau, Adams State; Izzy Saiki, Black Hills State; Mataya Ward, Chadron State; Connelly Kilgore, Colorado Christian; Abbie O’Shay, Colorado School of Mines; Brooke Gennerman, MSU Denver; Elise Fourt, New Mexico Highlands; Alayna Pruitt, Regis; Cate Warren, South Dakota Mines; Payton Tompkins, UCCS; Sierra Long, Western Colorado.

Defensive
Jenna McLaughlin, Colorado School of Mines (Junior, Middle Blocker, Zanesville, Ohio)
McLaughlin helped Colorado School of Mines secure back-to-back three-set victories at home, earning the latest Defensive Player of the Week honor. The junior opened the week with a six-block, two-dig performance against Colorado Christian University, helping the Orediggers to a 3-0 victory. She followed that effort with four more blocks and two digs in Mines’ next match against Colorado State University Pueblo, again anchoring the team’s defense in a three-set win. McLaughlin finished the week with 10 total blocks, including three solo blocks and seven assisted, across just six sets. Her defensive presence helped the Orediggers hold their opponents to a .101 attack percentage, the lowest mark in the RMAC for the week. When she wasn’t anchoring the Orediggers’ defense, McLaughlin made her presence felt offensively as well, recording 17 kills on a .310 hitting percentage, along with one ace and one assist.

Others Nominated: Ashlyn Jones, Adams State; Izabel Abril, Black Hills State; Avery Lacy, Chadron State; Allie Allen, Colorado Christian; Maya Grant, Colorado Mesa; Maya Pridgett, MSU Denver; Becca Wiersema, New Mexico Highlands; Cady Knight, Regis; Allison Nowak, South Dakota Mines; Sydney Hyde, UCCS; Galatia Andrew, Western Colorado.

Setter
Kaiya Gilbert, Colorado School of Mines (Freshman, Setter, Castle Rock, Colo.)
Gilbert continues to collect Setter of the Week honors in her debut season, claiming her third consecutive award and fourth of the 2026 season. The freshman totaled 59 assists across Colorado School of Mines’ wins over Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo, averaging 9.83 assists per set in the Orediggers’ six total sets. Gilbert opened the week with 30 assists against the Cougars, averaging 10 assists per set while also contributing 13 digs, three kills, three blocks, and 8.5 points. She followed this with another strong performance against the ThunderWolves, recording 29 assists, 9.67 assists per set, eight digs, four kills, and five blocks. Gilbert currently leads the RMAC in both assists and assists per set, with 573 assists and an average of 10.05 per set. Her assists-per-set mark ranks 25th nationally.

Others Nominated: Isabella DeLaRosa, Adams State; Elena Atkinson, Black Hills State; Jillian Donovan, Chadron State; Krista Traynor, Colorado Christian; Ashlyn Tafoya, Colorado Mesa; GabriElle Brewer, MSU Denver; Marissa Sandoval-Moya, New Mexico Highlands; Madelyn Lynett, Regis; Emily Henderson, South Dakota Mines; Aubrey Miller, UCCS; Anuhea Kaalele, Western Colorado.

About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.

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