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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fort Lewis College’s Alina Nunez, Black Hills State University’s Keira Thompson, and Colorado School of Mines’ Kaiya Gilbert have been named the Week 4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Players of the Week, the conference announced Monday.

Nunez earned Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Gilbert was named Setter of the Week, marking the second time this season each student-athlete has received the award. Thompson claimed her first Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Offensive
Alina Nunez, Fort Lewis (Senior, Outside Hitter, Tucson, Ariz.)
 Nunez claims her second Offensive Player of the Week honor of the 2026 season after leading Fort Lewis to a 2-0 week, earning conference wins against Chadron State College and Regis University. The senior from Tucson, Arizona, opened the week with a 14-kill showing against the Eagles. As she led her team to a sweep of Chadron State, Nunez hit .387 and committed just two errors on 31 swings. In Fort Lewis’s next game, the senior put together a match-high 23 kills on .327 hitting, with FLC besting the Rangers 3-1. In total, Nunez recorded 37 kills, a .349 hitting percentage, 5.29 kills per set, and accounted for 37 of her team’s 108 kills (34.3%).

Others Nominated: Lizzie MacIntosh, Adams State; Izzy Saiki, Black Hills State; Mataya Ward, Chadron State; Sienna Thatcher, Colorado Christian; Henley Madsen, Colorado Mesa; Jenna McLaughlin, Colorado School of Mines; Brianna Pino, CSU Pueblo; Brooke Gennerman, MSU Denver; Sabrina Landman, Regis; Lexi Glendenning, South Dakota Mines; Payton Tompkins, UCCS; Andrea Torres, Western Colorado.

Defensive
Keira Thompson, Black Hills State (Junior, Libero, Lakewood, Colo.)
Thompson is the league’s Defensive Player of the Week after guiding the Yellow Jackets to a 1-1 week. Thompson and Black Hills State started the week against Colorado Christian University, where the junior tallied 24 digs in her team’s four-set road win. She followed this performance up with another 20-dig showcase against Colorado State University Pueblo. For the week, the Lakewood native recorded 44 digs (6.29 digs per set) against the No. 3 and No. 6 teams in the RMAC. 

Others Nominated: Ashlyn Jones, Adams State; Kally Kirkwood, Chadron State; Allie Allen, Colorado Christian; Jaycee Windorski, Colorado Mesa; Francesca Nuzzo, Colorado School of Mines; Finja Schul, CSU Pueblo; Alyx Daugherty, Fort Lewis; Trynity Martin, MSU Denver; Cady Knight, Regis; Campbell Sheffield, South Dakota Mines; Alysse Marcoso, UCCS; Maggie Legg, Western Colorado.

Setter
Kaiya Gilbert, Colorado School of Mines (Freshman, Setter, Castle Rock, Colo.)
Gilbert claimed Setter of the Week honors after helping Colorado School of Mines to an undefeated week of conference play with wins over New Mexico Highlands University and Adams State University. The freshman from Castle Rock opened the week with 34 assists, nine digs, and two blocks as the Orediggers swept the Cowgirls. Gilbert carried that momentum into the second match, helping Mines complete another sweep, this time against Adams State. She finished the contest with 38 assists and five digs while averaging 12.67 assists per set. For the week, Gilbert totaled 72 assists, averaging 12 assists per set, while adding 14 digs, three blocks, and three aces.

Others Nominated: Isabella DeLaRosa, Adams State; Emma Kruger, Black Hills State; Jillian Donoban, Chadron State; Krista Traynor, Colorado Christian; Ashlyn Tafoya, Colorado Mesa; Madison Garnder, CSU Pueblo; Arianna Reyna, Fort Lewis; GabriElle Brewer, MSU Denver; Nicole Shaver, Regis; Emily Henderson, South Dakota Mines; Aubrey Miller, UCCS; Anuhia 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.