GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team opened the home portion of its schedule on Sunday by sweeping South Dakota Mines at Lockridge Arena.
 
Taylor Hicken led all players with 11 kills while hitting .625. Lindsey Jin knocked down 10 kills on 15 attempts and zero errors to hit .667 in the match. Amanda Donais also added 10 kills. At the service line, April Jergensen, Drew Stokes and Jin tallied two aces each. Julia Eiken worked both sides of the ball with four total blocks along with eight kills and a .375 hitting percentage. The back row featured 13 digs from Elle Duis and 11 digs from Donais who rounded out a double-double on the day. Stokes' 38 assists proved best in the match.
 
Colorado School of Mines (3-1, 3-1 RMAC) earned its second straight sweep by hitting .370 on offense and holding South Dakota Mines (0-2, 0-2 RMAC) to just .040 on the attack. The Orediggers complimented their offensive efficiency by tallying seven service aces and limiting SDM to four. The home team also produced 52 digs and five total blocks compared to 37 digs and one block from the Hardrockers. Colorado School of Mines remains solidly in fourth in the RMAC Standings and boasts the second-most matches played in the league.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sunday's calm, clear sunrise gave way to warm temperatures and blustery conditions in Golden. The Orediggers arrived at Lockridge Arena for their home opener with payback on their minds after last year's five-set loss to South Dakota Mines. Head Coach Jamie Magalei's squad did not disappoint. Outside of a little back-and-forth in the opening set up to 5-5, Colorado School of Mines never trailed the visiting Hardrockers.
 
Balance led the home team to a 25-18 win in the opening set as Eiken, Hicken and Jin notched three kills apiece. Hicken and Jin parlayed that momentum into the second set, where Hicken hit .857 with six kills and Jin produced seven kills and an .875 clip. Neither one in that duo committed a single error on the way to a 25-16 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Colorado School of Mines then closed out the victory with its strongest set of the day. The Orediggers hit .483 as a team in the final frame, while holding the visitors to just three kills and a negative swing percentage. That production resulted in a 25-7, match-clinching win.
 
NOTABLES
- Colorado School of Mines is 6-4 in the all-time series against South Dakota Mines.
- Hicken has led the match in kills in two straight appearances.
- Jin's hitting percentage of .667 on Sunday marks a career best for the senior.
- Donais now has 11 double-doubles in her career. No active Oredigger has more.
- Donais also had two blocks to give her 100 total blocks for her career.
- Duis's 13 digs gives the junior exactly, 1,100 digs in less than three years.
- Mines has hit .370 and .403 as a team in its last two outings.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 284-95 in her 13th season at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers travel to Gunnison, Colo., on Thursday for a match at Western Colorado. 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.