DENVER, Colo. – The #7 Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team dropped a heartbreaking loss to Regis on Saturday in a match that lasted five sets included 40 points in the final frame.
 
On offense, Rose Stuewe on Taylor Hicken tied for the team lead with 13 kills apiece. Lindsey Jin and Amanda Donais made it four Orediggers touting double-digit kills. Donais led the quartet by hitting .400 on 20 attempts. Drew Stokes put together an impressive resume of her own which included 49 assists, eight digs, five service aces, three blocks and three kills. Elle Duis proved big in the back row by leading all players with 19 digs. April Jergensen joined her in double digits by providing 12 digs.
 
Mines (17-3, 10-2 RMAC) boasted a 10-7 advantage in service aces. However, Regis (16-4, 11-1 RMAC) extended its winning streak to 11 behind eight blocks and 62 digs. The Orediggers and Rangers both converted under .300 on offense, but Mines provided the best hitting set of the match thanks to a .393 mark in the second game. With the loss, the Orediggers surrender their spot at #2 in the RMAC standings and fall into third which could become a three-way tie pending results around the league on Saturday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With a successful RMAC Cross Country Championships in the books earlier in the day Saturday, the eyes of Oredigger nation turned to Regis Fieldhouse and Mines volleyball. While the visitors had already beat RU in convincing fashion to start RMAC play, fans, players and coaches all understood that wins don't come easy on the road. Especially with Regis touting a 10-match win streak thanks to no losses since falling in four sets to Mines inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Anticipation, angst and fervor grew through the first three games as both teams exchanged heavy Blows. Regis landed the first strike in a come-from-behind, 25-22 decision in the opening frame. The Orediggers rebounded for a 25-14, game-two victory to even the match. Mines earned the win in the second frame behind a .393 clip on offense while holding the Rangers to .057 on the attack. That led to a back-and-forth game three. The pivotal point came when Regis rallied to take an 18-17 lead and then a 21-18 advantage. Both scores forced Oredigger timeouts in hopes of stemming the tide, but both attempts proved unsuccessful. Regis held strong and claimed a 2-1 match advantage thanks to a 25-19 win fueled by three blocks in the set.
 
After 24 points in game four, Mines and RU found the frame tied at 12-12. It was then Mines took the lead and did not look back. Stuewe and Eiken put down a block for the 13-12 advantage. Back-to-back aces from Stokes forced a Regis timeout at 15-12, but the break did little as the Orediggers pushed their lead to 18-13 on a 7-1 run. The Rangers stormed back, but Mines withstood the onslaught and forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-23 win.
 
Ebbs and flows remained the theme in the final set. Regis charged out to a 7-3 lead. Mines clapped back with a 4-1 run thanks to kills from Hicken and Jin. However, the visitors could not close the final one-point gap. The Rangers maintained its narrow edge and grew it to 11-8 before the Orediggers called a timeout. Whatever was said in the huddle worked. Stuewe emerged and knocked down one kill. Donais hammered down a second and RU had an attack error which pulled Mines even, 11-11. In the most appropriate fashion possible, the Orediggers and Rangers split the next 16 points. However, at 19-19, Mines failed to hold serve, RU took advantage, and closed out a 21-19 match-clinching win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines fell to 26-49-1 in the all-time series against Regis
- Donais' 10 kills on Saturday put her over 800 for her career while Danielle Mullen surpassed 400 career digs.
- Jin now boasts exactly 1,200 kills in her five years as an Oredigger.
- Stokes' five aces against Regis mark a career high for the senior. Her previous best was four service aces at Adams State on Sept. 28, 2019.
- Stuewe also matched her single-match best in aces with two versus the Rangers. She also had two against Fort Lewis last January.
- Stuewe's 22 kills marked a career high for the junior. Her previous best in a single match was 19 at
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 309-101 in her career at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers open a four-match home stand on Friday as they host CSU Pueblo at 7 p.m. as part of "Slam the SRC Night." Tickets can be purchased online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets, or at the door. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be offered at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on Twitter at @MinesVolleyball and on Instagram at @mines.volleyball. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.