SPEARFISH, S.D. – The #10-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team stayed red hot on Friday night and earned a 3-0 win at Black Hills State inside the Young Center.
 
Senior middle blocker Taylor Hicken was the tip of the spear for Mines with 13 kills on .650 hitting while adding three blocks and four digs. Rose Stuewe, Lindsey Jin and Julia Eiken also produced eight kills apiece. Pinhitters Jin and Stuewe converted at .533 and .357, respectively, on the attack. Defensively, Elle Duis and Amanda Donais proved big with 14 digs and 10 digs each. However Drew Stokes was the lynchpin thanks to 41 assists, five digs, three service aces and two kills.
 
The straight-set victory marked the fifth straight sweep for Mines (22-3, 15-2) as part of a five-match win streak. With the loss, Black Hills State (7-18, 4-13 RMAC) finds itself mathematically eliminated from a shot at the RMAC Tournament, despite hitting .281 on the attack – well over the Yellow Jackets' season average of .155. Mines produced a team hitting percentage of .433 in the match. If the Orediggers defeat South Dakota Mines on Saturday night, they will clinch the #2 seed in the conference tournament after Regis fell in four sets at Colorado Mesa on Friday evening.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Friday's penultimate match of the regular season required the Orediggers to provide a late push in each set, but Mines was up to the task. The opening frame was all Stuewe who knocked down five kills and hit over .300 on the outside. With the visitors leading 21-19, Stuewe hammered down her fifth kill of the set and helped Mines finish on a 4-2 run for a 25-21 win. Game two proved similar as Black Hills State pulled close at 16-14. This time, it was Eiken punching down the kill and sparking a 7-1 surge by the Orediggers. That put the visitors over the top for a 25-17 win as Hicken moved up to seven kills on .500 hitting in the match.
 
Those competent in simple math and process of elimination know that Hicken owned the final set. Even though the Yellow Jackets held the lead out to 11-9. Hicken caught fire for six kills on eight attempts with zero errors to post a .750 attack percentage in the frame. Jin nearly matched her, touting five kills on eight attempts with zero errors. Overall, Mines hit .471 as a team in the third game. However, as previously mentioned, BHSU kept it close enough to require a 6-2 run by the Orediggers to close out the set and the sweep. Stokes claimed the final point on her third ace of the match.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 13-1 in the all-time series against Black Hills State with 13 straight wins including 10 sweeps.
- Hicken's .650 attack percentage on 20 attempts against the Yellow Jackets ranks #3 in the Oredigger record book.
- Mines' team hitting percentage of .433 at BHSU marks the fourth-best offensive performance of the season.
- Stokes produced two milestones on Friday night. Her three aces pushed her to 96 in her career which surpasses teammate Elle Duis for #7 on the program's all-time list. The setter also surpassed 700 digs for her career.
- The Orediggers have swept 15 different opponents this fall.
- Coach Magalei is now 314-101 in her career at Mines and 13-0 in her career against Black Hills State.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close the regular season on Friday night against South Dakota Mines in Rapid City at 5 p.m. 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.