#23 Mines (13-2, 7-0) vs. Dixie State (11-2, 6-0) – Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#23 Mines (13-2, 7-0) vs. Westminster College (5-9, 3-3) – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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HOMECOMING 2018
Homecoming weekend has arrived at Colorado School of Mines and the #23-ranked Oredigger volleyball team's slate features a battle for first. Mines hosts Dixie State (11-2, 6-0 RMAC) Friday in what may be the biggest match of the season so far as the Orediggers hold just a one-match lead over the Trailblazers in the conference standings. Saturday's match features another Utah team in Westminster College (5-9, 3-3 RMAC). A pair of wins would give Mines a strong grip on first place in the RMAC and extend the Orediggers' winning streak to nine matches.
 
GREAT FACES, GREAT PLACES
Last weekend, Mines took a trip to South Dakota and came away with two wins over South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State. Friday's match against the Hardrockers was a three-set affair that featured 10 kills and four service aces from Hannah Martin. Saturday's match in Spearfish went four sets as Abby Tiesman and Janice Jin combined for 29 of the Orediggers 59 kills.
 
SCOUTING DIXIE STATE
The key to a Mines victory against Dixie State will be overcoming the Trailblazers' at the net. In its first year as full members of the RMAC, Dixie State leads the nation in blocks per set with 3.17 stuffs per game. Individually, Lauren Gremmell is #1 in the country in blocks per set, stopping attackers at a rate of 1.65 blocks per game. The Trailblazers' only two losses have come in extra sets with a 3-2 loss to Biola and a 3-1 loss to UA Fort Smith. Dixie State's best win of the year is arguably a four-set victory at home against then #18 Tarleton State. DSU comes into Golden riding a six-match winning streak as it looks to take over first place in the RMAC standings.
 
TRAILBLAZERS, REBELS AND BISON – OH MY!
The nickname Trailblazers is relatively new for Dixie State. Originally known as the Rebels, DSU attempted to adopt the nickname Red Storm in 2009 as an effort to distance itself from deep South associations. The change was unsuccessful and the University made the change to Trailblazers in 2016. The name is defined as, "a person who makes a new track through wild country," while the bison image is a carryover from the Red Storm era and is claimed as, "an authentic and worthy nod to southwestern Utah's hardscrabble history. The bison's name is Brooks which is a reference to the school's first student, Samuel Brooks. And now you know.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER COLLEGE
Westminster College enters the weekend 5-9 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Currently sitting eighth in the RMAC standings, Saturday's match could be a preview of the first round of the RMAC tournament. The Griffins come into Golden after winning two of their last three matches, but must face UCCS Friday. WC's three RMAC wins have come over Fort Lewis, Western State and Black Hills State. As a team, Westminster College leads the nation in attacks per set. The Griffins hit .185 as a team with Audrey Green's 188 kills leading the offense. Hannah Stearman, Jaylee Lehenbauer and Green anchor the defense with 177, 151 and 150 digs, respectively.
 
FROM PARSONS TO GRIFFINS
Westminster College athletics teams were originally nicknamed the Parsons as an ode to the school's religious (Presbyterian) roots. However, in 1979, the institution went from spiritual to mythical as it became known athletically as the Griffins. Also spelled griffon or gryphon, the school's mascot is a legendary creature featuring the body, tail and back legs of a lion while also sporting the head and wings of an eagle. It is not a real animal and seems appropriate for the school as Westminster College sports teams became mythical in 1967-68 with financial crisis forcing the discontinuation of intercollegiate athletics. The program experienced rebirth starting in the 1990's and eventually joined NCAA Division II and the RMAC in 2015-16.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday marks the first-ever meeting between Mines and Dixie State on the volleyball court as NCAA Division II programs. The Orediggers and Trailblazers have never faced each other since DSU's induction into Division II in 2006. Since 2006, Dixie State has gone 173-146 on the volleyball court. Saturday will be the fourth showdown in program history between the Orediggers and Griffins. Mines is 3-0 in the all-time series after defeating WC in four sets last season inside Lockridge Arena. In that match, Lindsey Jin racked up 18 kills while Abby Tiesman notched 16.
 
LOCKRIDGE ARENA
Fondly referred to as "The Lock", Mines' home court for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball features seating for 3,000 at Oredigger home athletics events. The venue has also twice hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Central Regional Tournament. Additionally, Lockridge Arena hosts numerous major campus events and has been graced by the presence of Barack Obama, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and many others.
 
COMFORTS OF HOME
In 2018, Mines is 6-0 on its home floor and 103-11 inside Lockridge Arena since 2011. The Orediggers have not lost more than two home matches in any given season during that time. Mines' best mark at home was 16-1 in 2013 and in 2015. The Orediggers also went 13-1 at home in 2016. As a team, Mines hitting percentage is nearly 100 points better at home than on the road (.305-.212). However, the Orediggers' defense seems to travel with nearly identical numbers in digs and blocks per set.
 
RED-HOT OREDIGGERS
Mines' seven-match win streak is the eight-longest, active streak in NCAA Division II. It also matches the Orediggers' start to RMAC play from 2017 when won their first 13 matches of conference action. Overall, Mines' 13-2 start to the year is its best start through 15 matches since 2014 when it also went 13-2 and finished the season 25-4.
 
RMAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
For a third straight week, Mines volleyball took home RMAC Player of the Week honors. Elle Duis was named Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and Drew Stokes went back-to-back as Setter of the Week. Both Orediggers are true freshman. Duis racked up 42 digs over two matches at a pace of 6.0 digs per set. She is third in RMAC in total digs with 282. Stokes dished out 86 assists at a rate of 12.2 assists per set and added six kills while hitting .750. She is second in the RMAC in assists per set and fourth in total assists.
 
AVCA NATIONAL RANKINGS
Mines rose from #24 to #23 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Poll. The Orediggers have appeared in the national rankings 86 of the last 87 weeks. Other familiar faces in the rankings include RMAC foe Regis at #24 with South Central Regional opponents Texas A&M-Commerce at #21 and Tarleton State at #19. Palm Beach Atlantic, who competed at the 2018 Oredigger Volleyball Classic checked in at #9.
 
HERE'S THE SITUATION
In case you hadn't figured out, Mines is #1 in the RMAC standings and Dixie State is #2. Colorado Mesa and Regis round out the top four in a tie for third at 6-1 in league play. MSU Denver sits alone in fifth place while UCCS and Colorado Christian are tied for sixth at 4-3. As previously mentioned, Westminster would round out the RMAC Tournament field if the regular season ended today. On the bubble for the RMAC Tournament are New Mexico Highlands, Black Hills State, Adams State and CSU-Pueblo. Long shots to reach the postseason are South Dakota Mines, Chadron State, Fort Lewis and Western State.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following Homecoming 2018, Mines volleyball hits the road again as they head to New Mexico Highlands Oct. 5 and CSU-Pueblo Oct. 6.  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.