GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball trio featuring Julia Eiken, Taylor Hicken and Rose Stuewe guided the #6-ranked Orediggers to a 3-0 win against New Mexico Highlands on Saturday evening inside Lockridge Arena.
 
All three individuals collected 12 kills apiece. Eiken proved most efficient by hitting .625. Hicken converted at a .500 clip, and Stuewe produced a .429 mark on the attack. Drew Stokes pulled the strings which resulted in 41 assists and four digs. Elle Duis' 10 digs anchored the back row. Also notable were two service aces from April Jergensen and two blocks off the hands of Amanda Donais.
 
Mines (15-1, 8-0 RMAC) remains tied for first place in the RMAC standings and extends its win streak to 12 consecutive victories. New Mexico Highlands (7-11, 3-5 RMAC) fell victim to miscues on offense and an efficient Oredigger attack as evidenced by the .347-.161 disparity in hitting percentage. There were only a total of five blocks in the match. Mines also bolstered its effort with four service aces and 47 kills.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Blustery conditions outside on Saturday in Golden brought winds of change into Lockridge Arena as Mines rolled out a different starting lineup featuring Danielle Mullen and Stuewe. Yet, the Orediggers still found results similar to those of recent history. In nearly an hour flat, the Mines rolled past New Mexico Highlands and improved the Orediggers' best start in program history.
 
Eiken spearheaded a 25-21 win in the opening set thanks to five kills on six attempts with zero errors, hitting .833. That effort offset a team performance that proved mediocre compared to the season average as the Orediggers hit "just" .294 as a team. Mines quickly rebounded in game two for a dominant 25-13 victory while converting at a .424 clip. At this point, Stokes was up to 29 assists which nearly put her at 15 assists per set. The visitors made their final comeback attempt in the final frame and did not trail or tie with the Orediggers until a solo block from Amanda Donais tied the match at 16-16. Donais' stuff was part of a 7-0 run that put the home team firmly in the driver's seat. It also served as the catalyst for Mines' 25-20 win to clinch the match.
 
NOTABLES
- The Orediggers now sit 33-28 in the all-time series against New Mexico Highlands, touting 14 straight wins over the Cowgirls. Saturday marked the 10th three-set win during that run.
- Mines hasn't lost to NMHU since Oct. 1, 2004. Current Cowgirls' Head Coach Tom Duke is in his second stint in Las Vegas and was also the head coach for NMHU when that last victory took place.
- The Orediggers boast nine sweeps so far this fall.
- Stokes now touts exactly 3,999 assists in her career.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 307-99 in her career at Mines. She's also 11-0 in her career against NMHU.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Next weekend, Mines makes the short trip to Colorado Christian on Friday followed by #2 MSU Denver on Saturday. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be offered for both matches 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.