#24 Mines (11-2, 5-0) at S.D. Mines (3-9, 1-3)  – Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#24 Mines (11-2, 5-0) at Black Hills State (5-6, 2-2)  – Saturday, 5:30 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After one week and two RMAC matches at home, the #24-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team (11-2, 5-0 RMAC) takes the road again as it heads to South Dakota for matches at South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State. The Orediggers face SDSMT Friday at 7 p.m. and look to extend their five-match win streak before taking on BHSU Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
 
LOOKING BACK
Mines played its RMAC home openers last Friday and Saturday, sweeping past Adams State and Fort Lewis. The win over ASU marked the Orediggers' ninth straight victory against the Grizzlies. Saturday's three-set affair was the program's 12 consecutive sweep of Fort Lewis. Abby Tiesman led the Orediggers with 26 kills and 11 total blocks. Drew Stokes tossed up 88 assists and Hannah Martin broke out with a total of 24 kills.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology enters the weekend at 3-9 overall and 1-3 in the RMAC. The Hardrockers have lost back-to-back matches to CSU-Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands. SDSMT's last win came Sept. 8 against Westminster. Dana Thompson leads South Dakota Mines with 193 kills at 4.60 kills per set while hitting .242. Shyann Bastian captains the offense with 245 assists (6.45 aps) on the season. Tana Dahlberg's 183 digs anchors the defense.
 
THE KING CENTER
Home court for Hardrocker volleyball is Goodell Gymnasium at the King Center. With bleacher seating for up to 3,000, Goodell Gymnasium provides a relatively average small college setting for sporting events. Described on SDSMT's website as, "the athletic hub of camps with facilities for athletic teams," the King Center also houses the campus wellness center for all students and the Hardrock Club which provides student-athlete scholarships.
 
WHAT'S A HARDROCKER
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology boasts Hardrockers as its nickname which refers to a miner who specializes in the extraction of harder minerals as opposed to coal or softer sediment. Grubby the Miner is their mascot. However, the athletic teams were originally named the Longhairs when the first football team formed in 1895. Despite a variety of connotations and denotations, "longhair" is defined by Dictionary.com as "an intellectual" or, "a person, often gifted, who is very interested in or devoted to the arts". The school eventually switched to the Hardrockers and also transitioned to NCAA Division II in 2013 and accepted an invitation to the RMAC in 2014.
 
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State totes an overall record of 5-6 overall and 2-2 in RMAC action into the weekend. Before facing Mines, BHSU will host UCCS inside the Donald E. Young Center as it looks to move above .500 on the season. The Yellow Jackets have won two straight matches with a four-set victory at New Mexico Highlands and a five-set thriller at CSU-Pueblo. However, Black Hills State has lost three of its last five, dating back to nonconference play. Jadie DeLange boasts a team-best 99 kills but hits just .149. Laurel Lech serves as the clear-cut setter with 340 assists. On defense, Valerie Blake and Laurel Lech split the majority of digs 124-114, while Sierra Stugelmeyer, Carisa Becerra and Makayla Bell have combined for 99 total blocks.
 
THE DONALD E. YOUNG CENTER
Black Hills State touts the Donald E. Young Center as the hub of the BHSU campus and the home court for the basketball and volleyball programs. The Yellow Jackets arena was built in 1900 and serves multiple rolls. The building features fitness facilities, an aquatics center and a field house with a walking track. No capacity is available for the competition gym, but it exclusively features bleacher style seating for fans.
 
DON'T CALL 'EM BEES
Black Hills State University claims the Yellow Jacket as the nickname for its athletics teams. Sometimes mistakenly called bees, yellow jackets are actually wasps. Specifically, yellow jackets are referred to as social wasps meaning they form colonies, but nest above ground. While bees are only capable of stinging once, wasps can sting repeatedly and painfully. Yellow Jacket colonies/nests can reach sizes up to 4,000-5,000 workers. Their diet consists of fruits, nectar and tree sap. While the two-word spelling has become popular over time, the proper entomological spelling is as a single word, yellowjacket.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Since 2012, the Orediggers have played South Dakota Mines four times and lost just one set, going 4-0 with a two-year hiatus in the series from 2013-14. Mines has not dropped a set to the Hardrockers since 2012 and are equally dominant against Black Hills State. Over the same time period the Orediggers are 9-0 against the Yellow Jackets with eight sweeps and one four-set affair. The last time BHSU took a set off of Mines was 2014 in Golden.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Orediggers boast a home record of 103-11 dating back to 2011. However, since 2012, Mines is equally dominant on the road with a mark of 54-13 in true road matches. In 2014 the Orediggers went undefeated (10-0) on the road and also posted a 9-1 mark in 2012. Over the same, seven-year period, Mines has not dropped more than four away matches in a single season.
 
STRONG START
In 2018, Mines started its RMAC campaign 5-0 for a third consecutive season. For the last half decade, the Orediggers have started no worse than 4-1 through their first five matches. A 2-0 trip to South Dakota this weekend would mark back-to-back seasons with 7-0 marks through the first seven games of conference action. Mines has started no worse than 5-2 in league play over the last five years.
 
RMAC SETTER OF THE WEEK
True freshman setter Drew Stokes was name the RMAC Setter of the Week Monday after helping the Orediggers go 3-0 last week with a trio of sweeps. It is Stokes' first career award. She finished the week with 125 assists, 10 digs, seven total blocks and five kills. Stokes' honor marks Mines' fourth RMAC weekly award this season.
 
STOKES(ING) THE FIRE
Drew Stokes RMAC honor is the byproduct of an incredible start to the freshman's collegiate career. On the season, Stokes ranks #2 in the RMAC in assists per set (11.10) and #4 in total assists (555). Nationally, the Illinois native is one of the top freshman setters in NCAA Division II. She is currently third in total assists (#15 overall) and assists per set (#20 overall) among all DII freshmen.
 
OREDIGGERS RISING
Mines rose to #24 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Poll. The Orediggers have appeared in the national rankings 85 of the last 86 weeks. Other notable teams in the national poll include RMAC foe Regis (23), regional foes Texas A&M-Commerce (25) and Tarleton State (20) and 2018 Oredigger Volleyball Classic Participant Palm Beach Atlantic (3).
 
RMAC RUNDOWN
Colorado School of Mines sits atop the RMAC standings at 5-0 in the conference at 11-2 overall. Dixie State (9-2, 4-0 RMAC) is right behind the Orediggers at #2 with Colorado Mesa (9-4, 4-1 RMAC) and Regis (8-5, 4-1 RMAC) rounding out the top four. MSU Denver, New Mexico Highlands, Black Hills State and Westminster are currently in position to make the RMAC Tournament field. However, UCCS, Colorado Christian and CSU-Pueblo are not far out.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines returns home Sept. 28-29 for Homecoming Weekend as the Orediggers host Dixie State and Westminster College inside Lockridge Arena. Live stats and video of the matches will be available at www.MinesAthletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.