GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team wrapped up the 2019 Oredigger Volleyball Classic on Saturday with a split on the day, defeating Alaska 3-1 before falling to #8-ranked Northern State by the same margin.
 
Abby Tiesman and Amanda Donais were the starts on offense. Tiesman knocked down 26 kills in eight sets for an average of 3.25 kills per set. Donais recorded 22 kills and racked up four service aces over the same span. The trio of Taylor Hicken, Rose Stuewe, and Lindsey Jin also produced a combined total of 48 kills. Tiesman was also a force to be reckoned with on defense thanks to eight total blocks including three of the solo variety. Elle Duis matched Tiesman's defensive acumen in the back row as she racked up a team-best 31 digs. As always, Drew Stokes coordinated the offense in impressive fashion by way of 95 assists, 22 digs, two blocks and seven kills on .417 hitting. The sophomore setter also notched the eighth double-double of her career with 47 assists and 14 digs against Northern State.
 
The Orediggers (3-1) dominated from the service line as they put up 11 service aces on the day. Mines' cumulative performance on the weekend produced four all-tournament performers in Stokes, Donais, Tiesman and Duis. The Oredigger Volleyball Classic MVP was Laura Snyder of Northern State while Kasie Gilfert (Colorado Mesa), Sally Gaul (Northern State), Camile Smith (Colorado Mesa) and Ashley Rozell (Northern State) joined Mines' duo on the all-tournament team.
 
Match One – Mines 3 (25, 25, 20, 25), Alaska 1 (15, 18, 25, 22)
The weekend's hosts cruised through the first two sets with relative ease, trailing just once over the two games with wins of 25-15 and 25-18. Donais, Hicken, Megan Neil and Tiesman produced three kills each in the opening set while Mines hit .312 as a team and put down 3.0 blocks. It was all Hicken and Tiesman in the second round with four kills apiece and a team hitting percentage of .324 for a 2-0 lead.
 
However, Alaska produced trouble for the Orediggers in the potential match winner by way of five total blocks. The Nanooks held Mines to .156 on the attack despite six kills on 11 attempts from the true freshman Stuewe. Alaska's defense proved too much as it avoided the sweep with a 25-20 win. That defense carried into the final game with both teams combining for 9.0 total blocks. Mines only hit .184 and Alaska converted at a clip of just .154. However, four kills from Jin and three blocks from Tiesman gave the Orediggers a 3-1 victory by a score of 25-22. The final two sets featured 11 ties and six lead changes, doubling those same numbers from the first two games.
 
Match Two – #8 Northern State 3 (25, 22, 26, 25), Mines 1 (19, 25, 24, 21)
In what was essentially the championship match of the weekend, both teams afforded more than 500 fans three sets of entertaining volleyball. Despite Mines trading blows early in set one, NSU showed why it entered the season ranked #8 in the nation. The Wolves closed out a 25-19 win by holding the Orediggers to .068 on the attack and converting nearly 30 percent of their attempts at the net.
 
But Mines would answer right back in the very next round. Fueled by a team hitting percentage of .350, the Orediggers jumped ahead 3-0 and never looked back. In fact, Mines never trailed in the second game and Northern State evened the score just three times. The home team evened the match 1-1 by a score of 25-22 courtesy of a team-high six kills from Donais and four more from both Jin and Tiesman. Jin finished the set hitting .800 with no errors and Duis led all players with four digs. Making the victory even more impressive was the Wolves' .400 hitting percentage in the set which proved not enough to keep the lead. As evidenced by the final tally, neither team was done yet.
 
With at least four sets guaranteed, both Mines and Northern State put on a show in the third game of the match. The visitors took the early lead and extended their advantage all the way to 10-5. Over the next 12 points, Mines clawed back within one thanks to a clinic from Jin that featured three kills to help make the score 14-13. Then, Hicken threw one down to make it 15-15 and Stuewe kept pace to even the score at 16-16. Northern State retook the lead again, but Donais put the team on her back and registered three straight points on a kill and back-to-back service aces, giving Mines a 19-17 lead.
 
The volleys went back and forth to 20-18, 21=19, 22-20 and 24-22. However, NSU would outlast the Orediggers as the Wolves ran off four unanswered points to take the set, 26-24 and the lead by a margin of 2-1. Unfortunately it seemed the game-three battle had drained the Orediggers and Northern State would escape unscathed with a fourth-set win of 25-21.
 
Despite the loss, Tiesman led all hitters including tournament MVP Snyder by knocking down 17 kills at a .484 clip while adding two blocks, one dig and one service ace. Donais added 14 kills and three aces while Julia Eiken came off the bench with four kills, one block and a hitting percentage of .375. Defensively, Elle Duis and Stokes combined for 29 digs and produced 51 assists.
 
NOTABLES
- Over the last six years, Mines is 21-3 in its own Oredigger Volleyball Classic.
- The Orediggers boast an all-time Classic record of 48-13.
- Mines dealt the #8-ranked Wolves their first set loss of the season.
- Tiesman moved passed the 800-kill milestone on Saturday evening with her 17 kills against Northern State.
- Stuewe's appearance against Alaska was her collegiate debut and the true freshman finished it with eight kills on 19 attempts and one dig.
- Stokes' 14 digs against Northern State match the sophomore's career high, last set at MSU Denver on Oct. 19, 2018.
- Donais also matched a career high with her 14 kills against the Wolves. She has now recorded 14 kills in a single match five different times in her career.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 259-88 in 12 seasons at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its season Sept. 13-14 at the Mountain Lion Invitational hosted by UCCS in Colorado Springs. 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.