#8 Mines (4-1, 4-1 RMAC) at UCCS (2-4, 2-4 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Colorado Springs [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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THE WEEKEND AHEAD
With a last-minute change to the schedule, the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team is headed south to Colorado Springs on Saturday for a single match against UCCS at 1 p.m. The #8-ranked Orediggers make the trip touting a three-match winning streak while the Mountain Lions are fresh off three straight losses. It would have been a neutral-site match between the two programs, but now Mines will have to find victory on UCCS's home court if the Orediggers want to extend their winning streak.
 
NO SPECTATORS FOR MINES
No spectators are allowed inside the Gallogly Events Center for Saturday's contest. Additionally, the Colorado School of Mines policy of not admitting spectators will continue for all sports – including volleyball – until further notice. Mines Athletics will continuously re-evaluate this policy as government guidance changes in the future.
 
FREE ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Fans and teams alike are certainly disappointed that no spectators are allowed to attend matches. However, everyone can keep up with each point live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC". Additionally, live stats are available with links above and on the volleyball schedule page at www.minesathletics.com.
 
CH-CH-CH-CHANGES
The Oredigger men's and women's basketball teams started the year with the mantra, "Be prepared for anything." Now, Mines volleyball looks to adopt the same mindset. Saturday's action was originally scheduled as a three-team pod hosted by Black Hills State. Mines and UCCS were the other two teams. However, COVID-19 testing forced the matches against Black Hills State to be postponed and moved the contest between the Orediggers and Mountain Lions to Colorado Springs. It marks the first schedule change for the Oredigger volleyball team. Additional adjustments remain likely. All changes will be announced at www.minesathetics.com and on Twitter at @MinesAthletics and @MinesVolleyball.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Mines' last match was a five-set victory against Western Colorado last Thursday in Gunnison, Colo. Despite dominating the opening set, the Orediggers were pushed to the brink by the Mountaineers. The fifth set even went deep into extra points, but Mines eventually prevailed with a 23-21 victory in the final frame. When the dust settled, Amanda Donais emerged with a 15-kill, 19-dig double-double. Taylor Hicken notched 15 kills as well. Rose Stuewe pounded out 11 kills to boot and Elle Duis produced 28 digs. Drew Stokes rounded it all out with 54 assists, eight digs, four kills and three blocks all while hitting .444. The win gave Mines six straight victories against Western Colorado dating back to 2015.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
Despite a three-match skid and a sub-.500 record, UCCS received 22 votes in the latest AVCA Top-25. Last week, the Mountain Lions were ranked #22 in the nation. However, losses to Regis, Fort Lewis and Nebraska-Kearney derailed UCCS's 2-1 start to the season. Through six matches, Lauryn Shockley leads her team with 3.61 kills per set while swinging .265 on the attack. Emily Ettel oversees the setter duties and produces 9.44 assists per set. Jordyn Kinsey oversees the back row and boasts 3.81 digs per set. At the net, it's Grace Ferguson leading the way with 18 blocks over 23 sets. As a team, UCCS has played two five-set matches already and has only been swept once by the preseason #1-ranked Lopers of UNK.
 
THE PUMA CONCOLOR
Above is the scientific name for the cat known as mountain lion, or cougar. Of course, Mountain Lion is the nickname for UCCS Athletics and also the animal with the most names in the entire world. But, did fans know all of this? Females weight 85-120 pounds while males check in at 120-180 pounds. Cougars also measure seven to eight feet from nose to tail while standing two to three feet at the shoulder. Pumas can horizontally jump 40 feet while running, leap 15 feet up into a tree, climb a 12-foot fence and sprint up to 50 MPH. All of this really has the author thinking about a basketball game between cougars, but we digress. Interestingly, cougars were classified as a game animal in Montana in 1971 and can be hunted from September to April. As tempting as that sounds, this author will probably just stick to watching sports.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 53rd all-time meeting between Mines volleyball and UCCS. The Orediggers own a 38-24 lead in the series and currently boast a 13-match winning streak against the Mountain Lions. In their last faceoff on Nov. 15, 2019, Mines swept UCCS at the Gallogly Events Center in Colorado Springs. Lindsey Jin pumped out 15 kills while hitting .355. Rose Stuewe chipped in 14 kills with a hitting percentage of .476. Drew Stokes handed out 48 assists and came up with six digs. As per usual, Elle Duis held down the back row to the tune of 20 digs. The Orediggers actually tout back-to-back sweeps against UCCS and haven't lost to the Mountain Lions since Sept. 15, 2012. However, just five of those 13 straight wins were sweeps. Seven others were four-setters and there has been one five-set thriller in the past nine years.
 
RMAC SETTER OF THE WEEK
Drew Stokes claimed her second straight RMAC Setter of the Week award on Tuesday and her third of the season so far. Stokes guided Mines to a five-set victory over Western Colorado last Thursday in Gunnison. The junior dished out 54 assists along with eight digs, four kills and three blocks. She also committed zero attack errors to hit .444 on nine attempts. Stokes now ranks #2 in the nation and #1 in the RMAC in assists per set. She sits #2 in the RMAC and #6 in the nation in total assists. In total, Stokes touts 13 RMAC Setter of the Week awards in her career as she approaches 3,000 assists in less than three seasons.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team held strong at #8 in the nation in the third edition of the American Volleyball Coaches' Association Division II Coaches' Top-25 released Wednesday afternoon. It marked two straight weeks for the Orediggers at #8. The nation's top-10 remained relatively unchanged as MSU Denver remained #4 with four first-place votes. Colorado Mesa moved up two spots to #5. Regis fell three spots to #20 despite another win. CSU Pueblo, Black Hills State and UCCS all garnered votes in the poll. Hillsdale held onto its spot at #1 with 37 out of 46 first-place votes.
 
GROUND RULES
After the NCAA canceled all of its 2020 fall championships, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference presidents voted to postpone a majority of the fall seasons – including volleyball – until the spring. In the interim, conference and institutional personnel developed the rules and processes to return to play and the requirements to hold a RMAC Volleyball Tournament. All teams competing this spring will undergo weekly testing, and every person in the gym for a match will wear masks except the players actively competing on the floor. The schedule features 13 conference matches for each team. New Mexico Highlands has preemptively opted out of the season leaving 14 programs competing. In order to declare an RMAC champion and to hold a conference tournament, at least five teams must complete 50 percent of their originally approved schedule. Up to eight teams can qualify for the RMAC postseason. There is still no NCAA Volleyball postseason for the 2020-21 academic year.
 
UP NEXT
Mines' next action will be a RMAC Pod on Saturday, Feb. 20th at Black Hills State. UCCS will be the third team in Spearfish, S.D. The Orediggers play at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. No spectators are anticipated. Live stats and video will be available for free at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can follow the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team on Twitter at @MinesVolleyball and on Instagram at @Mines_Volleyball. Fans can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.