By: Nash Loibl, Director of Strategic Communications and Internal Operations

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado School of Mines junior middle blocker Jenna McLaughlin has been named the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Player and Defensive Player of the Year, guiding the 2026 First and Second-Team All-RMAC rosters, announced Thursday.

Colorado School of Mines took home all of the conference’s major awards, with freshman Kaiya Gilbert winning Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year, and head coach Jamie Magalei earning Coach of the Year.

The All-RMAC teams and awards are selected by the league’s 15 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for themselves or their own players.

McLaughlin, a native of Zanesville, Ohio, swept the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards following a dominant season for the Orediggers. Offensively, the junior recorded 284 kills on 636 attempts, posting a .392 hitting percentage to lead the RMAC. With McLaughlin leading the charge, Colorado School of Mines ranked second in the conference in team hitting percentage at .277.

McLaughlin was equally impressive on defense, leading the RMAC with 140 total blocks and 1.51 blocks per set. Her 140 blocks ranked seventh nationally among Division II players, while her blocks-per-set average was the second-best in the nation. Anchored by her defensive presence at the net, the Orediggers held opponents to a conference-low .153 hitting percentage. Colorado School of Mines also ranked third in the RMAC in opponent assists (986; 10.60 per set) and opponent kills (1,073; 11.54 per set).

Her outstanding play earned her significant recognition throughout the season, as she was named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week five times and Offensive Player of the Week once.

Gilbert earned both Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors following an outstanding collegiate debut in Golden. The Castle Rock native made an immediate impact throughout the 2026 season, collecting seven RMAC Setter of the Week awards, including four consecutive honors from Weeks 4-7.

Gilbert led the conference in both assists (938) and assists per set (10.09), establishing herself as the driving force behind the Orediggers' offense. She recorded three of the top 15 single-match assist totals in the conference this season, including two 50-assist performances and a 48-assist outing. She also posted five of the top 15 assist totals in three-set matches, four of the top 15 in four-set matches, and three of the top 15 in five-set matches.

With Gilbert directing the offense, Colorado School of Mines finished the season with 1,160 total assists and ranked third in the RMAC with 12.47 assists per set. Gilbert accounted for nearly 81% of the team's total assists.

In her 19th season leading Colorado School of Mines, Magalei earned RMAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Orediggers through another outstanding campaign. The Orediggers finished the regular season with a 23-3 overall record and a 12-2 mark in conference play, closing the year on a 16-match winning streak. Under Magalei's leadership, the Orediggers secured the No. 2 seed in the 2026 RMAC Volleyball Tournament, earning their 17th tournament appearance in the past 19 seasons.
 
   

2026 First Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Volleyball
Pos.	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
S	GabriElle Brewer (HM)	MSU Denver	Sr.	Gurnee, Ill.
OH	Maria Bouman	South Dakota Mines	Jr.	Dallas, Texas
OH	Brooke Gennerman (2)	MSU Denver	So.	Monument, Colo.
S	Kaiya Gilbert	Colorado School of Mines	Fr.	Castle Rock, Colo.
OH	Lexi Glendenning (1)	South Dakota Mines	So.	Parker, Colo.
OH	Hayden Liebsack	MSU Denver	Fr.	Omaha, Neb.
OPP	Henley Madsen (2)	Colorado Mesa	So.	Park City, Utah
MB	Jenna McLaughlin (1)	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Zanesville, Ohio
OH	Ashlee Macias	Colorado Mesa	Jr.	El Paso, Texas
OH	Alina Nunez (HM)	Fort Lewis	Sr.	Tucson, Ariz.
OH	Payton Tompkins (1)	UCCS	Jr.	Dallas, Texas
OPP	Cate Warren	South Dakota Mines	So.	Dallas Texas
OH	Molly Whalen	Colorado Mesa	Fr.	Litchfield Park, Ariz.
OH	Lilly Zwart	CSU Pueblo	Sr.	Nelson, New Zealand

 

2026 Second Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Volleyball
Pos.	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
OPP	Suzanna Conner	Colorado Christian	Sr.	Lubbock, Texas
L	Alyx Daugherty (2)	Fort Lewis	So.	Mesa, Ariz.
MB	Nicole Himebauch	UCCS	Sr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
MB	Sydney Hyde (2)	UCCS	So.	Meridian, Idaho
L	Francesca Nuzzo (HM)	Colorado School of Mines	Sr.	Rome, Italy
MB	Abbie O’Shay (HM)	Colorado School of Mines	So.	Fulshear, Texas
OPP	Addie Ritterbush	Colorado Mesa	So.	Palisade, Colo.
MB	Finja Schul (HM)	CSU Pueblo	Sr.	Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
S	Ashlyn Tafoya (2)	Colorado Mesa	So.	Loveland, Colo.
OH	Sienna Thatcher	Colorado Christian	So.	Fort Collins, Colo.
S	Krista Traynor (HM)	Colorado Christian	Sr.	Seattle, Wash.
MB	Trynity Martin	MSU Denver	Jr.	Pueblo, Colo.
OH	Mataya Ward (HM)	Chadron State	Jr.	Bell Fourche, S.D.
MB	Jaycee Windorski	Colorado Mesa	Jr.	Leadville, Colo.
Symbols in parentheses: (1) was a First Team All-RMAC selection in 2025; (2) was a Second Team All-RMAC selection in 2025; (HM) was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection in 2025.

2026 Honorable Mention All-RMAC: Volleyball

ADAMS STATE: Rowan Tribelhorn, Isabella DeLaRosa, Carolisa Folau, Ashlyn Jones
BLACK HILLS STATE: Carsyn Mettler, Izzy Saiki
CHADRON STATE: Sarah Meservey
COLORADO CHRISTIAN: Connelly Kilgore, Ana Aguilar
COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES: Naomi Romslo
CSU PUEBLO: Chinaru Pao
FORT LEWIS: Jordan DeJesus, Caroline Munson, Addie Garn
MSU DENVER: Mia Accomazzo, Kamdyn Scott, Mayah Pridgett
NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS: Aziza Morris
SOUTH DAKOTA MINES: Emily Henderson
UCCS: Sydnee Walker, Aubrey Miller
Western Colorado: Maggie Legg, Galatia Andrew, Breanna Nohava
WESTMINSTER: Ava Livolsi, Elsa Gilmore