#6 Mines (6-1, 6-1 RMAC) vs. Adams State (0-9, 0-7 RMAC) – Sunday, 11 a.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Adams State (0-9, 0-7 RMAC) vs. Chadron State (2-6, 1-4 RMAC) – Sunday, 2 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#6 Mines (6-1, 6-1 RMAC) vs. Chadron State (2-6, 1-4 RMAC) – Sunday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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BACK AT HOME
The #6-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team rolls on in its spring schedule by hosting a RMAC pod with Adams State and Chadron Sate coming to Golden and Lockridge Arena. Sunday's format features Mines taking on Adams State at 11 a.m. with ASU and Chadron facing off at 2 p.m. The Orediggers and Eagles play in the day's finale at 5 p.m. Mines enters the weekend riding a five-match win streak with four of those victories coming on the road. The Orediggers will look to make it a seven-match run inside the friendly confines of the SRC – just the second time this season Mines has played at home.
 
NO FANS ALLOWED
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.
 
LOOKING BACK
Mines last took the court on Thursday, Feb. 25 against Westminster in Salt Lake City. The Orediggers escaped Behnken Field House with a five-set victory. Taylor Hicken fueled the win with 18 kills, two blocks, two digs and one service ace while swinging .471. Amanda Donais played both sides of the ball with great expertise as she emerged with a 14-kill, 17-dig double-double. Drew Stokes also had a double-double thanks to 62 assists and 15 digs. Elle Duis anchored the back row for the win by racking up 23 digs. With the win, Mines improved to 6-0 in the all-time series against WC.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
Adams State has yet to find the win column in the overhauled 2020-21 season. In fact, the last time ASU did win a match was Nov. 14, 2019 as the Grizzlies closed their season with back-to-back wins. At 0-9 overall and 0-7 in the RMAC, Adams State is led by 2.67 kills per set from Anna Huggins who has 64 kills on the year. Sophomore Setter Bailey Schlosser dishes out assists at a rate of 7.46 per set. Mackenzie Swanson boasts 92 digs in 24 sets and Shannon Mulkey is tops at the net with 18 total blocks.
 
URSUS ARCTOS HORRIBILIS
We would wager that you can't say that five times fast with your mouth full of cheese puffs. If you chose to read this section instead of skipping over that combination of letters, we salute you. The Ursus Arctos Horribilis is how scientists choose to say Grizzly bear, or Grizzlies, which is also the nickname for Adams State Athletics. Those who kept up with the team in the past know that the appropriate term is North American brown bear, but enough with the semantics. Did you know that North American brown bears are officially considered a threatened species? At one point, approximately 50,000 grizzled bears roamed North America, but that number has since dropped to about 1,800 bears in the lower 48 states. The creature can weigh up to 800 pounds, nearly half a ton, and actually varies in color from light cream to brown or black. The distinguishing feature of the North American brown bear is a hump on its back which is a mass of muscles used for digging. These are solitary creatures that live for about 30 years in the wild and 40 years in captivity. Females cannot reproduce until they are four or five years old. The gestation period is 180-270 days. Interestingly enough, female bears can give birth to cubs while sleeping. So there's that. We could go on, but those seem like enough interesting facts for today.
 
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
Chadron State makes the trip to Golden amidst a five-match losing streak. The Eagles did get their lone RMAC win on the road at Black Hills State in a five-set thriller on Feb. 13. Also, on Jan. 29, CSC got its first win of the season in a sweep of South Dakota Mines. Chadron uses a balanced offense with three different players hovering between 1.5 and 2.0 kills per set to lead the squad. Alexia Hurtado is tops on the list with 53 kills. The Eagles' true strength is blocking where they rank 24th in the nation as a team. Rhiannon Nez leads that effort with 32 blocks at a clip of 1.03 blocks per set. Chandler Hageman is close behind with 31 blocks in 31 sets. Setting duties are also split between multiple players, but Breshawna Kelly leads the way with 4.93 assists per set while Karli Noble compliments the back row with 4.39 digs per set.
 
THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT EAGLES
The nickname for Chadron State's athletic teams is the Eagles. Most commonly known as America's national bird, the Eagle is a large bird of prey with a massive hooked bill and long broad wings, boasting excellent eyesight and powerful soaring flight. At the top of the food chain, some eagle species feed on prey as big as monkeys and sloths and are able to detect their target up to two miles away. There are nearly 60 species of eagles worldwide but just 14 found in North, Central and South America. Eagles' wingspans are about 1.8 meters or nearly six feet. With such a large body, eagles' nests can be quite large with the biggest being 13 feet deep, eight feet wide and over 1 ton in weight. And now you know.
 
SERIES HISTORY – ADAMS STATE
Sunday marks the 66th meeting between Colorado School of Mines Volleyball and Adams State. The Orediggers trail 31-34 in the all-time series, but own 10 straight wins over the Grizzlies. Mines hasn't dropped a set to ASU since Nov. 14, 2017. The Orediggers last loss to Adams State was a four-set decision in Golden on Nov. 22, 2013. Mines last met the Grizzlies on Sept. 28, 2019 in Alamosa, Colo. The visitors walked away with a 3-0 victory thanks to Drew Stokes' 34 assists, four aces, four kills and three digs. Mines hit .431 as a team in that win.
 
SERIES HISTORY – CHADRON STATE
Just like the series with Adams State, Sunday's finale is the 66th all-time meeting between Mines and Chadron State. In this rivalry, the Orediggers tout a 41-24 lead overall and boast 21 straight wins against the Eagles. The last time Mines didn't sweep CSC was Oct. 16, 2015 – over five years ago. That gives the Orediggers six consecutive 3-0 wins versus Chadron. Mines' 21-game run against the Eagles started on Sept. 16, 2008. The Orediggers' last loss to CSC was Oct. 20, 2007 in four sets at Volk Gym. Mines and CSC last met on Nov. 1, 2019 inside Lockridge Arena. The Eagles held the home team to .233 on the attack, but Amanda Donais powered Mines to the win with 12 kills and nine digs. Stokes dished out 42 assists as well.
 
RMAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Taylor Hicken won RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday thanks to her 18-kill performance at Westminster. As stated above, Hicken hit .471 on the attack while adding two digs, two blocks and one service ace. She now ranks 11th in the nation in hitting percentage this season. The award was Hicken's first of the season and second of her career.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team maintained its spot at #6 in the nation on Wednesday afternoon in the fifth release of the American Volleyball Coaches' Association Division II Coaches' Top-25. Other movement in the national rankings included a new #1 team in the country as Hillsdale lost and Lewis took over the top spot with 41 out of 47 first-place votes. That moved familiar faces up the ranks with MSU Denver jumping to #3 while boasting two first-place votes, and Colorado Mesa rising to #4. Further down the list, Regis made a small move up to #23. The Rangers dropped two spots last week despite back-to-back sweeps.
 
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
The Orediggers next scheduled action is another RMAC pod taking place March 20 against CSU Pueblo and Regis in Pueblo, Colo. No spectators are expected. 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.