COLORADO SPRINGS – Oredigger junior Amanda Donais led all players with 10 kills on Saturday afternoon as the #8-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team swept UCCS at the Gallogly Events Center.
 
Donais hit .278 on the outside and also added five digs in the win. Taylor Hicken was solid on offense as well with eight kills and an attack percentage of .316. Other top performers for Mines included Elle Duis with 13 digs, and Drew Stokes touting 31 assists, three service aces and four kills with no errors to hit .667. Megan Neil also hit over .300 and knocked down seven kills for the Orediggers.
 
Mines (5-1, 5-1 RMAC) extended its winning streak to four straight matches with the victory. The visitors only need a .258 percentage on the attack to earn the win as the Orediggers' defense forced UCCS (2-5, 2-5 RMAC) to a negative hitting percentage. The box score reflected a 3-2, Mines advantage in blocks and seven service aces for the Orediggers compared to three from the Mountain Lions. With the loss, UCCS sees its losing streak go to four straight. Mines remains in third place in the RMAC standings as MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa both produced wins on Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set proved the toughest for Colorado School of Mines as UCCS stayed with its guests all the way to 23-22 in favor of the Orediggers. Neil and Hicken both knocked down sets from Stokes for the last two kills and a 25-22 win. From there, Mines cruised to set wins of 25-17 and 25-18 to clinch the sweep. At one point in the final frame, the Orediggers boasted a 17-8 advantage thanks to a 4-0 run that included another kill from Neil and an ace off the hand of Donais.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 29-24 in the all-time series against UCCS.
- The Orediggers have won 14 straight matches versus the Mountain Lions.
- Friday makes three straight sweeps for Mines in the all-time series.
- Mines' last loss to UCCS came on Sept. 15, 2012.
- The Orediggers haven't surrendered a single set to the Mountain Lions since 2018.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 286-95 in her 13th season at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines travels to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday for a 6 p.m. match at Westminster. No spectators are expected. However, 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.