#16 Mines (2-1, 2-1 RMAC) vs. South Dakota Mines (0-1, 0-1 RMAC) – Sunday, 11 a.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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FINALLY HOME
The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team will appear in competition on its home floor this Sunday for the first time since Nov. 2, 2019 – 464 days. Mines' opponent is South Dakota Mines which has just one match under its belt this season due to COVID-19 postponements and cancellations. The Orediggers are fresh off a sweep of Colorado Christian in Lakewood, and eager for payback from last year's meeting between Colorado School of Mines and the Hardrockers. With other action around the league, the Orediggers have a chance to move into a tie for first in the RMAC standings.
 
NO SPECTATORS FOR MINES WINTER SPORTS
The Colorado School of Mines policy of not admitting spectators will continue for all winter sports – including volleyball – until further notice. Although Jefferson County was recently moved back to Level Orange by the state, facility capacity restrictions still make it impossible to welcome fans to campus at this time. 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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Mines made the short trip to Lakewood, Colo., last Saturday where the Orediggers dominated Colorado Christian in a 3-0 victory. Taylor Hicken led the offense by hitting .786 with a 11 kills on 14 attempts and zero errors. Hicken also added three service aces, three blocks and two digs. Defensively, Julia Eiken led all players with four blocks and Elle Duis anchored the back row on 10 digs. Duis assisted the offense as well by racking up four aces. Also notable was Amanda Donais hitting .538 with eight kills. Floor captain Drew Stokes coordinated it all with 32 assists to go along with six digs, three blocks and one service ace. Mines hit ..403 as a team while notching eight aces and eight blocks.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
The only match of the year so far for South Dakota Mines was a 3-0 loss at Chadron State last weekend. Matches against Adams State and Colorado Christian were postponed and the match against New Mexico Highlands was canceled. That brings SDM to Golden with a record of 0-1 in tow. Last season, the Hardrockers went 11-16 overall and 7-11 in the RMAC while just missing the conference tournament. In the overhauled 2020-21 campaign, South Dakota Mines is missing its all-American hitter Dana Thompson. In her stead, Claire Smith racked up nine kills while hitting .304 in SDM's lone match. Shyann Bastian handled the setting duties with 17 assists over three sets. Smith along with Anna Thomas had double-digit digs as well. South Dakota Mines did rack up seven blocks in the loss. That's about all there is to say about that.
 
WHAT'S A HARDROCKER?
The institution formerly known as South Dakota School of Mines & Technology made a rebrand over the summer. Now, the engineering school up north prefers the simplified moniker of South Dakota Mines. It's a little confusing since the main website is still sdsmt.com, but it's what they want. Either way, Hardrockers is still the nickname of the school's athletic programs which arguably raises some confusion as well. A Hardrocker is a miner engaged or skilled at working hard rock as distinct from coal or sedimentary deposits. We just aren't sure what hard rock they're working. We'd assume it's probably the granite of Mt. Rushmore, but we'd rather avoid any assumptions all together. It would seem this is a good place to end.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday marks the 10th meeting ever between the Colorado School of Mines and South Dakota Mines volleyball teams. The Orediggers own a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Hardrockers earned their fourth win last season in the only meeting between the two STEM schools. South Dakota Mines came into Golden and found victory in a five-set thriller at Lockridge Arena despite Lindsey Jin, Amanda Donais, Abby Tiesman and Taylor Hicken all racking up double-digit kills. Drew Stokes dished out 62 assists, Elle Duis had 21 digs and Stokes and Donais put up double-doubles. It was eight aces and 10 blocks for SDM that made the difference. This weekend is the first chance for the Orediggers to find some redemption after last year's loss snapped a five-game winning streak against the Hardrockers. It was the first RMAC loss Colorado School of Mines suffered at the hand of South Dakota Mines.
 
MOVIN' ON UP
The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team jumped three spots into a tie for 16th in the first regular-season edition of the AVCA Division II Coaches' Top-25. Mines is tied with Winona State after the Orediggers opened the season ranked 19th. Mines' move follows 2-1 start to the season including wins over Fort Lewis and Colorado Christian with one four-set loss to MSU Denver. The list featured plenty of other movement as well. Most notable were the two favorites to win the RMAC in Regis and MSU Denver. Regis started the year ranked fifth in the nation, but dropped to 24th after a 0-2 start. Conversely, the Roadrunners opened their campaign outside the top-25 but jumped to 13th and garnered a first-place vote thanks to their 3-0 start to the overhauled season. Nebraska-Kearney remained #1 despite not playing a single match. South Central Region foe Angelo State jumped from 15th to seventh. Colorado Mesa also entered the rankings as it moved from unranked to 20th.
 
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 including the players 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
After their home opener, the Orediggers hit the road again for a match at Western Colorado on Feb. 11 at 7 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.