GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Lindsey Jin and the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team handed Colorado Mesa its first home loss of 2019 in a five-set thriller inside Brownson Arena on Friday night.
 
Jin stole the show by leading all players with 23 kills while hitting .404 on the night. The junior outside also added two service aces, two blocks and seven digs in the five-set effort. True freshman Rose Stuewe was not far behind her teammate, racking up 19 kills and hitting .361. Stuewe added three blocks and too digs as well. Abby Tiesman made it a trio of hitters touting double-digit kills thanks to 14 kills with eight blocks and six digs. In the back row, Elle Duis notched 15 digs and April Jergensen added 12 digs of her own. Additionally, Drew Stokes pumped out 52 assists and two service aces. Stokes added nine digs to Mines' total too.
 
As a team, Mines (18-6, 11-5 RMAC) had only one more kill than Colorado Mesa (15-9, 11-5 RMAC). The Mavericks produced more digs, more assists, more blocks and a better hitting percentage than the Orediggers. However, Mines tallied two more service aces and two less errors on the attack to make up the difference. It marks the Orediggers' second straight five-set victory over a team ahead of them in the RMAC standings. Mines is now tied for fourth in the league but hold the tiebreaker over CMU. The Orediggers have now won three straight matches after going 0-2 just two weeks ago.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With teams in action all across Oredigger nation, Mines volleyball provided a thrilling nightcap to end a day filled with excitement. It all started in the opening set as both teams exchanged blows all the way up to a 19-19, tie score. Then, Amanda Donais knocked down a kill and Elle Duis notched a service ace to make it 21-19 in favor of Mines. That set up a 6-2 run to close out a 25-21 win, giving the Orediggers a 1-0 lead in the match. Five kills from Jin were tops in the set and four digs by Elle Duis anchored the back line.
 
Colorado Mesa answered back in a nail-biter of a second frame that featured 14 ties and four lead changes. Despite four more kills off the hand of Jin, the Mavericks would even the match thanks to their 29-27 win in game two. That theme of extra points carried through the intermission into game three, but this time it ended in favor of the visitors. This time it was Stuewe leading the way behind six kills on 10 attempts with no errors and Mines claimed a 28-26 win for a 2-1 lead in the match. Colorado Mesa then cruised to a 25-21 win in set four to force a decisive fifth set.
 
The final frame of the night encapsulated all the excitement of the previous four games. Colorado Mesa struck first, sparking a blow-for-blow battle that led to a 7-7 tie. At that point, Mines found back-to-back points courtesy of a Stuewe kill and a CMU error. The Orediggers did not look back, never allowing the Mavericks to tie the game or lead ever again. Donais and Tiesman teamed up to end it and claim victory on a double block for the final point.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 10-5 against Colorado Mesa with Head Coach Jamie Magalei at the helm.
- Friday's match featured a total of 36 ties and 11 lead changes over the five sets.
- Friday also marked the seventh five-set affair between the Orediggers and Mavericks since Magalei's arrival at Mines in 2008.  
- Jin's 23 kills against CMU are a career high for the Colorado Springs native.
- Stuewe's 19 kills were also a career high for the true freshman. Her previous top mark was 14 earlier this season at Colorado Christian.
- Mines has played five matches that have gone five sets in 2019 with a mark of 2-3 in those affairs.
- Three different Orediggers tallied multiple service aces against CMU including Stokes, Elle Duis and Jin all collecting two apiece.
- Jergensen's 12 digs mark a career high for the junior after she racked up 11 against MSU Denver on Nov. 2.
- Elle Duis moved over 50 service aces in her career on Friday night.
- Stokes is now over 1,000 assists on the season giving her back-to-back years with more than 1,000 helpers.
- The Orediggers are now 109-16 in RMAC play dating back to 2012.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 273-93 in 12 seasons at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines finishes its trip out west on Saturday against Western Colorado at 6 p.m. in Gunnison. 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.