GOLDEN – Led by a robust .291 team attack percentage and 10 blocks on the defensive side, the No. 18 Colorado School of Mines volleyball team opened up the 2014 season with a 3-0 win over Dominican University during the opening day of the Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott Oredigger Volleyball Classic on Friday. 

With the win, Mines (1-0) has now started each of the last seven campaigns under head coach Jamie Skadeland with a season-opening victory. The two-time defending RMAC Champions claimed the win over the Penguins (0-2) by scores of 25-15, 25-19 and 25-18. 

Mines controlled the match from the start, allowing just 11 tie scores and four lead changes through the straight-set win. 

Coming off a freshman campaign that concluded with AVCA All-American honors, sophomore Alanna Winfield picked up where she left off a season ago with 13 kills while adding four blocks on the defensive end. Last year's RMAC and AVCA South Central Region Freshman of the Year posted a .265 attack percentage on a team-high 34 attacks.

Fellow returning All-American Danielle Johnson-Hazlewood, also the reigning RMAC Setter of the Year, posted her 34th career double-double with 36 assists and 17 digs. She moved into sole possession of third place on the program's career assist charts ahead of Emily Collett (2007-10) with her 37 dimes in the matchup, and now needs 38 to tie Andrea Giersdorf (1998-01) for second in program history with 2,719. They Cypress, Texas, product added a solo block and a service ace as well in the matchup. 

Senior six-rotation outside hitter Sarah Pekarek finished second on the team with 11 kills on a .276 attack percentage and added two of the squad's three service aces. The Plymouth, Minn., native added three assisted blocks and eight digs defensively to chip in across all statistical categories. 

Marking their first starts for the Silver & Blue, freshman Ellie Monarch and redshirt sophomore Frannie Cormier combined for 12 kills during the match, with Monarch - a 6-2 middle from Brush - leading the team with six total blocks. She and fellow middle Megan Peterson each hit over .400 on their matching seven kills during the contest. 

Junior libero Corrine Din chipped in 15 digs defensively to finish second on the squad in the matchup.