GOLDEN, Colo. – The #12-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team rolled past UCCS in straight sets on Saturday evening inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Balance was the name of the game for the Orediggers as Amanda Donais and Taylor Hicken led the team with nine kills apiece. Donais hit .563 and Hicken posted a .692 mark. Those two also combined for seven service aces. Right behind the senior duo were Julia Eiken, Rose Stuewe and Megan Neil. Eiken produced seven kills on a .600 hitting percentage. Stuewe put up six kills, and Neil added five kills while converting at a rate of .500. Eiken's four blocks were tops in the match, as were Elle Duis' nine digs. Drew Stokes emerged with 33 more assists.
 
Mines (19-3, 12-2 RMAC) dominated every facet of the game. The Orediggers' 11-3 advantage in service aces and 7-2 margin in blocks proved key in holding UCCS (7-14, 4-10 RMAC) to just .095 on the attack. As a team, Mines needed just 40 kills in three sets to earn the win but still managed to hit a staggering .434. The Orediggers also produced just 27 digs while the Mountain Lions had only 22. With the victory, Mines officially claimed one of the eight berths for the RMAC tournament and remained tied for second in the conference standings with Colorado Mesa and Regis.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saturday evening's match was titled a "Return to Hogwarts" with a Harry Potter theme in the spirit of Halloween. Each Oredigger player was announced with their "house", but no magic was needed for the home team to find the win. It took Mines just 57 minutes to dispatch UCCS thanks to set scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-9. Eiken took center stage in the first frame with four kills on six attempts with one error. Hicken stole the show in game two thanks to four kills on four attempts while hitting 1.000 in the set. Mines also combined for five blocks and hit .647 as a team to take the 2-0 match lead. The home team's service game won set three as the Orediggers laid down seven service aces. Hicken led that charge as well with three of her own as part of a 6-0 lead to start the 13-minute game.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 30-24 in the all-time series against UCCS while Head Coach Jamie Magalei touts a career mark of 20-5 versus the Mountain Lions.
- The Orediggers' team hitting percentage of .434 was their third-best mark of the season so far. Their 40 kills were the fewest in a win this fall and second-fewest only to 37 kills in a 3-0 loss to Southwest Minnesota State.
- Additionally, Mines' 11 service aces tied for second-most in a match this season.
- Duis notched the 93rd service ace of her career on Saturday which ties her for #7 on the Orediggers' all-time list.
- Hicken's four aces put her over 30 for the season. Stokes also moved over 900 assists for the fall.
- Coach Magalei is now 311-101 in her career at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers continue their home stand next Friday and Saturday against Westminster and Colorado Mesa at 7 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. 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.