DENVER – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball took care of business in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday night, toppling #5-ranked Regis in straight sets inside Regis Fieldhouse.
 
None other than senior middle blocker Abby Tiesman led the charge. She led all players in kills and blocks, turning in 16 kills and seven total blocks while hitting .600. Julia Eiken also turned in an efficient attack, hitting .538 with seven kills on 13 attempts while committing no errors. On defense, Elle Duis led all players with 15 digs and added five assists with a service ace. Floor captain and setter Drew Stokes produced a game resume that included 32 assists, nine digs, three blocks, two kills and one service ace.
 
It marks Mines' first win over the RMAC's regular-season champion this season, including the Orediggers' (22-6) first set wins over Regis (25-4). Mines outperformed the Rangers in all but one statistical category. That was service errors. Meanwhile, the Orediggers out-blocked the home team by a margin of 8-4 and edged the Rangers in kills (43-40), aces (4-3), assists (40-38) and digs (49-46). The victory also extends Mines' winning streak to seven consecutive matches, dating back to Nov. 1. With the win, the Orediggers advance to the RMAC Tournament Championship match on Saturday night against second-seeded MSU Denver.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
As the temperature outside plummeted towards freezing, the heat inside Regis Fieldhouse increased dramatically around 5 p.m. on Friday night. The first match of the night featured the Roadrunners sweeping past third-seeded Dixie State. However, what followed potentially shocked everyone except the Oredigger players and coaches themselves.
 
It all started with Mines' 25-21, game-one victory. The score was tied six times and the lead exchanged hands on three other occasions. However, Tiesman knocked down six kills and hit .500 while Elle Duis and April Jergensen tossed up four digs apiece. While the home team managed its own hitting percentage of .300, the Orediggers hit .310 and knocked down two blocks to seal the deal. Mines carried that momentum into a dominant performance in game two. The visitors never trailed and the score was never tied. Pushing the lead to double digits multiple times, Mines cruised to a 25-20 and a 2-0 advantage in the match.
 
Regis did show signs of life in the third frame. The Rangers jumped out to an 8-2 lead and pushed their advantage to 13-6. With everyone expecting a fourth set on the way, the Orediggers did the unthinkable. After a service error gave RU a seven-point lead, Eiken knocked down a kill that sparked an 8-1 run by the visitors. Tiesman capped that run with a kill to tie the score, 14-14. After that, both teams exchanged blows for eight straight points before Rose Stuewe tied the game at 18-18. An attack error by the Rangers gave Mines the lead and the Orediggers never looked back. They clinched the 25-21 win and the victory behind an 8-3 run down the stretch. Tiesman notched her 16th kill on the last point of the match.
 
NOTABLES
- Over the last three seasons, Mines is 3-5 in the series against Regis.
- Friday marked the Orediggers' first win over a nationally-ranked opponent in 2019.
- Under Magalei, Mines is now 16-9 in the RMAC Tournament and 10-2 since 2015.
- Tiesman moved up to 380 kills on the season and over 1,150 in her career.
- Stokes' 32 assists give her 1,210 on the year. That ranks #7 on Mines' all-time, single-season list.
- Additionally, Stokes surpassed 200 digs on the year, now at 203 thanks to nine on Friday night.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 277-93 in 12 seasons at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces MSU Denver on Saturday night at 5 p.m. in the RMAC Tournament Championship match inside Regis Fieldhouse in Denver. Live stats and video of the match 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. Fans can also follow Mines Volleyball on Twitter using the handle @MinesVolleyball.