GOLDEN, Colo. – Oredigger senior Rose Stuewe was dominant on Friday night as the #23-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team swept #16 Regis inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Stuewe, an outside hitter, led all players with 16 kills, led all hitters with a .448 attack percentage and added four total blocks as well. Emily Knight's eight kills tied her for second in the match. Mines needed just 29 assists from Drew Stokes to get the 3-0 win. Stokes finished with a double-double thanks to 10 digs and added a pair of aces. In the back row, Jada Price came up big with nine digs and three service aces. Elle Duis turned in a match resume featuring seven digs, four assists, and one service ace.
 
The Orediggers (15-5, 10-2 RMAC) earned the victory by winning the service game and at the net. Mines knocked down seven aces compared to three by Regis (14-5, 10-1 RMAC). The home team also ground out a .224 hitting percentage while the Rangers hit .173. A 46-37 advantage for Mines in digs helped offset Regis' defense at the net which produced 10 blocks while the home team only had six. The Orediggers snapped RU's run of 13 consecutive wins. It also gives Mines sole possession of #3 in the RMAC standings. The Rangers swept the Orediggers in Denver earlier this season in both teams' conference opener.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines Athletics celebrated National Pizza Month on Friday night by serving up free slices of Dominos pizza to all fans who came through the doors. That, and a showdown between two nationally-ranked opponents, drew a big enough crowd at the start of Mines' Fall Break to make some noise as the Orediggers charged to a 7-2 lead in the opening set. Regis later managed to rally back within two points at 21-19. However, Knight's tip to the back corner late gave the home team a 24-19 advantage which became a 25-19 on the very next serve.
 
Fans who have read this far are likely wondering why Stuewe was featured in the headline, but not yet mentioned in this section. Well, two attack errors in the first set made it a slow start for the Texan, but after the opening frame, the senior stole the show. Set two proved close, as evidenced by 13 ties and five lead changes. Stuewe did not care. She hammered down six kills on eight attempts with one error and two total blocks to push Mines to a 20-18 advantage. An exchange of points made the score 21-20, still in favor of the Orediggers. Stuewe's fellow pin-hitter Megan Neil then sparked a 4-0 run to give the home team a 25-20 win, just one set away from the sweep and the upset.
 
In the closest set of the night, Stuewe once again shouldered the load. Frame three saw her knock down five kills on six attempts with zero errors for an .833 attack percentage while adding a solo block and a block assist. The home needed all of Stuewe's production, and more. Duis provided the "more" with six digs in the third set which offset RU's four total blocks. Stuewe gave Mines a shot at match point with a kill to make it 24-23. Regis forced extra points by tying the score. Neil notched a kill to make it 25-24, and an attack error by the visitors ended the match with Mines touting a 3-0 advantage in sets.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 27-50-1 in the all-time series against Regis.
- Friday marked the Orediggers' first win over the Rangers since Sept. 16, 2021.
- Despite both teams appearing in the AVCA national rankings, Friday's match took less than 90 minutes.
- Duis surpassed 2,100 digs for her career and she continues to extend her lead as Mines' all-time digs leader.
- Price matched her single-match, career-high in service aces. She also had three against Colorado Christian last weekend. She also surpassed 100 digs for her career.
- Defensive specialist Audrey Richard notched the fourth kill of her career and her third of the season.
- Stokes notched her 31st career double-double and boasts exactly 900 digs for her career.
- Stuewe's four blocks on Friday matched her single-match career high previously set at Western Colorado in the spring of 2021.
- Nine of the Orediggers' 15 wins in 2022 have come in straight sets.
- Mines has won at least 15 matches every year since 2008, not including the pandemic-impacted, 2020-21 season.
- Head Coach Magalei now owns a career record of 333-107.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines has nearly a week off before traveling to (RV) CSU Pueblo on Friday, Oct. 21. Live coverage will also be offered at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on Twitter at @MinesVolleyball and on Instagram at @mines.volleyball. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.