CHADRON, Neb. – After two hard-fought regional pod matchups, Chadron State volleyball will resume conference matches this upcoming weekend with two more road matches. 

The Eagles (4-10, 1-3 RMAC) will start the weekend facing Adams State (6-9, 1-3 RMAC) on Friday at 6 p.m., then will move on to battle New Mexico Highlands (5-9, 0-4 RMAC) on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

Both matches will be streamed on the RMAC Network and can be accessed with a game pass, monthly subscription or annual subscription. Live statistics are also available online.

RMAC Network Update
All RMAC matches will be livestreamed on the RMAC Network. Beginning in 2025-26, the RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view subscription system for all regular season and postseason RMAC contests. 

Fans have multiple subscription choices to choose from: $10 for a single game (access for 24 hours) or $25 for a monthly subscription and $130 for an annual subscription (monthly and annual subscribers have access to all games, regardless of school or sport, broadcasted on the RMAC Network). 

Any CSC staff, faculty or students with a csc.edu or eagles.csc.edu email address are eligible for $10 off an annual subscription under the RMAC's EDU Peak Pricing Promotion. With the discount, an RMAC institutional community member can purchase a yearly subscription for $120, which is more than half off a monthly subscription of the same length.

To purchase subscriptions, visit rmacnetwork.com/purchase. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their broadcast systems.

Fans will technical support issues can contact Hudl, visit the RMAC email the RMAC Network FAQ page, or directly email the RMAC at rmac@rmacsports.org.

Looking Back
Chadron State faced its two geographically closest rivals in nonconference matches during the RMAC's annual "Regional Pod" week, with CSC dropping decisions to South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State.

RECAPS: South Dakota Mines | Black Hills State

The Eagles fell 25-20, 25-20, 25-16 to a resurging South Dakota Mines team, which began the season 0-8 against mostly nationally ranked competition but has since won four of its past six games. Four Eagles – Shelby Harding, Avery Lacy, Josie Loosevelt and Gibson Beckler – had double digit digs in the loss. 

Chadron State wound up on the short end of one of its more thrilling matches of the season, falling in five sets to Black Hills State – 13-25, 18-25, 25-19, 29-27, 15-8 – on Saturday afternoon. Despite some impressive statistical numbers, such as 56 assists from Jillian Donovan and 32 digs from Avery Lacy, the Yellow Jackets came from two sets down to beat the Eagles on their home floor.

Big Numbers
Saturday's match against Black Hills State featured several statistical high points for the 2025 Eagles due to the match's length and several impressive individual nights. 

On the team side, the Eagles racked up the most kills (64), assists (60), aces (11) and digs (97) in a match so far this season. Chadron State's team hitting percentage of .225 was the fourth-highest percentage of the year and the team's second-highest in a five-set match. 

The 97 digs are the third-most in any match and the second-most in a five-set match by an RMAC team during the 2025 season.

Individually, Avery Lacy tallied 32 digs against the Yellow Jackets, which is more than any RMAC player has had in a single match so far during the 2025 season, , one ahead of South Dakota Mines's Hannah Benes, who had 31 in a September match against Missouri-St. Louis. Lacy's previous season high and career high was 20 digs, set against Upper Iowa in a three-set win on September 12 of this season.

Gibson Beckler's 23 kills against BHSU were the most by a Chadron State player in a match this season and tied for the fifth-most by an RMAC player in a match this season. Mataya Ward's 61 attack attempts were the second-most by an RMAC player in a match this year, while Jillian Donovan's 56 assists were also the second-highest single-game total in the conference. 

Top Gun
Mataya Ward has been the Eagles' best offensive attacking option this season and is emerging as one of the top hitters in the RMAC. 

Ward ranks fourth in the RMAC (79^th in Division II) with 3.45 kills/set and leads the Eagles with 131 total kills despite missing two matches. The Belle Fourche, South Dakota native also has a team-high .259 hitting percentage.

In back-to-back matches against Western Colorado on September 27 and South Dakota Mines on October 3, Ward totaled 50 attempts across two contests without an attack error, slamming home a combined 27 kills and hitting .552 on 29 attempts against WCU and .524 on 21 attempts against South Dakota Mines. 

Ward followed up that two-game stretch with a season-high 18 kills against Black Hills State in CSC's most recent match. Ward has double-digit kills in eight of the 12 matches she had played, including in six of her last eight matches and each of her last three.

Jill the Thrill
The future is bright for CSC volleyball with Ward as a sophomore alongside true freshman setter Jillian Donovan. 

The Lincoln, Nebraska native is averaging 9.38 assists per set, tied for the lead in the RMAC and 45^th-highest in the nation. Donovan's 450 total assists rank third in the conference. 

The freshman enters the week only 59 assists away from eclipsing what would have been a team-leading total last season through just 14 matches played. 

Bend It Like Beckler
Junior transfer Gibson Beckler has made a big impact in her first season with the Eagles. Despite being listed as an outside hitter, Beckler has found herself in the back row plenty this season and has eight matches with double-digit digs, ranking second on the roster behind Avery Lacy with 155 digs on the season. 

Beckler has also shown an ability to come forward for thunderous kills from the back row. She is tied with fellow junior Kally Kirkwood for second on the team with 112 kills and is the only Eagle above the century mark in both kills and digs. 

The Missouri native poured in a CSC career-high 23 kills against just two attack errors on 54 attempts, good for a .389 hitting percentage, and also added 19 digs for her third double-double of the season. 

All or Nothing
In an interesting quirk, Chadron State has not played a four-set match yet this season. Out of the Eagles' 14 matches, 11 have been sweeps and gone the minimum three sets (with CSC 4-7 in those contests) while the other three have gone the maximum five. 

Chadron State has come up short in all three of its five-setters this year despite holding a 2-1 advantage over Colorado Christian and 2-0 advantages over Augustana and Black Hills State.

The five-setter against CCU broke an eight-match streak to begin the season where the team that won the first set of each Eagles match also took the second set, a streak that has continued to hold true in the subsequent five matches.

Poll Update
Chadron State volleyball is projected for a 13^th-place finish in the RMAC, matching its finish in last season's standings, according to the RMAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

MSU Denver, who have won four straight RMAC regular season championships, is the runaway favorite to win the league this season, receiving 13 of a possible 14 first-place votes. Colorado Mesa is second in the poll, earning the final two first-place votes and 11 second-place votes. Colorado Christian, who advanced to the finals of the RMAC Tournament last season, comes in third in the preseason poll, ahead of last season's surprise third-place finishers South Dakota Mines in fourth. 

The rest of the top 10 features CSU Pueblo, Regis, Westminster, UCCS and Adams State and Colorado School of Mines in a tie for ninth. Spots 11-13 are incredibly close, with 11^th-place Fort Lewis receiving 59 points in the poll, 12^th-place Western Colorado receiving 57 and the 13^th-place Eagles receiving 55. The poll is rounded out by New Mexico Highlands and Black Hills State. 

The RMAC has just one school ranked in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II national women's volleyball poll – MSU Denver at No. 12. Colorado Mesa is the top team receiving votes.

Scouting the Opponents
Adams State
Adams State is 6-9 overall and 1-3 in the RMAC. The Grizzlies challenged themselves during nonconference play, with three losses to then-top 10 opponents (No. 2 Angelo State, No. 5 West Texas A&M and No. 8 Nebraska-Kearney) on their out-of-RMAC ledger. Adams State was picked ninth in the RMAC Preseason Poll.

In RMAC play, the Grizzlies have swept New Mexico Highlands while losing in five sets to both Colorado Mesa and Westminster and in three sets to Colorado School of Mines. ASU will enter Thursday's game having won two straight, as the Grizzlies defeated New Mexico Highlands (in five) and Fort Lewis (in four) during RMAC Regional Pod action in Alamosa last week. 

The Grizzlies are led by senior Hadleigh Richardson, who leads the RMAC in total kills with 237 and ranks second with 4.31 kills per set. Richardson has topped the 20-kill mark five times, including both of Adams State's matches last week. Richardson gets a lot of opportunities as she has 120 more kills and 248 more attempts than anyone else on the Grizzlies roster. ASU only has two attackers with over 210 attempts this season.

Who gets Richardson the ball often changes, as the Grizzlies have three setters – freshman Isabella DeLaRosa, junior Peyton Priddy and sophomore Ellie Miller – who all have over 30 sets played and over 150 assists. Senior Logan Confin leads with 171 digs (3.42 per set) while junior Katie Bauer has a team-high 41 blocks. 

Head coach Garcia Ramser is in his second season at Adams State. Prior to the Grizzlies, Ramser was an assistant coach at Angelo State University and was on a Division II national championship-winning staff. He has also been an assistant at Canisius College.

New Mexico Highlands
New Mexico Highlands is 5-9 overall with an 0-4 RMAC record after being picked 14^th in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Cowgirls began the year 3-1 with wins over in-state rivals Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico but lost to Westminster in five sets and Colorado Mesa, Adams State and Colorado School of Mines in three sets. 

The Cowgirls also have a common opponent with CSC in Augustana University, who defeated NMHU in four sets on September 12 shortly after defeating the Eagles in five. Last weekend in RMAC Regional Pod action, the Cowgirls lost a five-setter to Adams State but defeated Fort Lewis in four sets.

Highlands has three players over 100 kills – junior Aziza Morris (133), senior Arianna Jamerson (127) and junior Jaylee Gonzales (105). None of those three are hitting over .200, with middles Elise Fourt (68 kills, .267) and Yuli Favela (57 kills, .206) serving as NMHU's most efficient options.

Libero Becca Wiersema ranks seventh in the RMAC at 3.98 digs/set and fourth with 211 total digs. Three players have over 20 blocks – Favela (29), Gonzales (24) and Fourt (21).

Head Coach Meg Grose is in her second season as the head coach at NMHU. Grose was previously a head coach for one season at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, but honed her skills as an assistant coach at NMHU from 2020-22. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Grose has Nebraska ties as she was a four-year starting setter for Peru State College.

Coach's Corner
Head Coach Jennifer Stadler will begin her seventh season in charge of the Chadron State volleyball program in 2025, accumulating a 51-94 record in her first six 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.