DENVER  – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play in winning fashion Friday with a five-set upset of #15-ranked Regis inside Regis Fieldhouse, the Orediggers' first win on the Rangers' home court since 2015.
 
Abby Tiesman led the way with 18 kills while hitting .262. Amanda Donais joined her teammate in double digits with 12 kills of her own and made it a double-double with 15 digs. Drew Stokes impressed with a match-high 53 assists and also added seven kills on 10 attempts (.700). At libero, Elle Duis racked up 21 digs.
 
As a team, the Orediggers (7-2, 1-0 RMAC) earned the victory while only hitting .225 with 66 kills on 182 attempts. The Rangers (4-5, 0-1 RMAC) posted a hitting percentage of .236 but only managed 62 kills on 174 attempts. Mines was outhit and out-blocked (5-4) but won in digs (76-70) and assists (61-59) on its way to victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Regis took the opening set 25-21 as it hit .227 on the game despite three Oredigger blocks. Tiesman and Donais led Mines' attack with three kills and three blocks each.
 
The Orediggers turned the tables in the second set as they claimed 25-19 win to even the match. Tiesman turned in six kills on 10 attempts with just one error and Hannah Martin came up with seven digs.
 
Both teams' offense heated up in sets three and four. The Rangers hit .375 in the fourth to take a 25-17 win and a 2-1 advantage in the match. However, Mines responded in the fourth set hitting .405 as it triumphed 25-22 to tie it up, 2-2.
 
As expected, the final set was a back-and-forth affair. Regis took the first point, but Mines bounced back to take the lead, 3-1. A 3-0 run from the Rangers knotted the score at 4-4, but that would be all the closer Regis would get. Back-to-back attack errors from the home team put Mines in the lead and the Orediggers never looked back. Janice Jin knocked down the final point to cap off a 10-kill performance.
 
NOTABLES
- Friday's win snaps Mines' three-match skid against the Rangers.
- The Orediggers are 16-6 versus Regis with head coach Jamie Magalei at the helm.
- Mines' last win at Regis was a four-set victory on Oct. 17, 2015.
- Tiesman's 18 kills matches her career high set earlier this season against Sioux Falls.
- Hannah Martin made her Oredigger debut against the Rangers with 10 digs and one assist.
- Donais has three double-doubles on the season after her 12-kill, 15-dig performance at Regis.
- Taylor Hicken matched her career high with nine kills Friday night.
- Janice Jin's 11 kills are a season high for the Orediggers' lone senior.
- Coach Magalei is 239-83 in 11 seasons at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines makes the short trip to Lakewood Saturday for an RMAC matchup at Colorado Christian at 5 p.m. Live stats and video 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.