A five-set thriller capped off an undefeated start to the season for #25 Colorado School of Mines as they beat Edinboro and Cal State Los Angeles in the Courtyard and Residence Inn By Marriott Oredigger Volleyball Classic.

Mines 3, Edinboro 0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-14)
The Orediggers were firing on all cylinders in the day's opener, hitting .310 for the match in the 3-0 win.

A balanced attack led by Ellie Monarch (8K, .533), Alanna Winfield (8K, .263), and Madeline Behr (7K, .538) keyed the win. Taryn Huber's 10 digs paced the offense as Delaney Duis had 23 assists and Mines recorded nine blocks.

Set one went to Mines 25-20, but the Orediggers had to fend off the Fighting Scots in the second, rallying back from 25-24 down in extra points to win 28-26. Mines took the set thans to a pair of blocks and a kill in the final four points, with LaRose Currie and Behr tying it at 25 with a stuff before an error and Winfield's kill made it 27-26, and Currie and Monarch's block won it.

The third set was all Mines as a 4-0 run mid-set took control at 17-11, and a later 5-0 run all but won it.


Mines 3, Cal State Los Angeles 2 (23-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-16, 15-7)
Mines capped the tournament with a dominating final two sets to overcome a 2-1 deficit and beat Cal State Los Angeles in five.

Alanna Winfield's 23 kills were two off her career high and most since the 2014 NCAA Tournament against Arkansas Fort Smith, when she also recorded 23. The senior hit .389 with only two errors in the match. Ellie Monarch continued her hot hitting percentage at .480 with 14 kills, and LaRose Currie swung for 10 kills. 

Mines slotted home 10 aces (four by Winfield) and used big serving runs in sets four and five to secure the victory, including a stunning 9-0 stretch to start the fifth on Hailey Babcock's service. Taryn Huber was outstanding on the backline with 28 digs.

After falling behind 2-1, the Orediggers roared back in the fourth holding CSLA to .029 hitting as Babcock's serving helped them decisively win 25-16.

A Winfield kill opened the fifth to begin a 9-0 run that included two kills apiece by Winfield and Currie and a Babcock ace, and Mines secured two more aces from Winfield and Behr down the stretch to cruise to a 15-7 win.

NEXT UP
Mines will take part in the Colorado Premier Challenge at MSU Denver next weekend, taking on #4 Southwest Minnesota State and #23 West Florida on Friday at 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.