SPEARFISH, S.D. – Oredigger middle blocker Emily Knight matched her career high with 16 kills on Saturday afternoon to guide the #19 Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team to a 3-1 win at Black Hills State.
 
Knight's 16 kills came on 31 attempts with only one error to produce a .484 attack percentage. Megan Neil was also big as she turned in a 10-kill, 13-dig double-double while hitting .290 on the outside. Drew Stokes made it a pair of double-doubles thanks to 38 assists and 10 digs. Elle Duis provided her own highlight on the merits of 17 digs and two service aces. Also notable was Morgan McChesney who had four kills on six attempts with zero errors to hit .667.
 
Mines (8-4, 3-1 RMAC) hit .288 as a team and held Black Hills State (1-11, 0-4 RMAC) to .178 on the attack. The Orediggers also won at the net as they knocked down five blocks as a team but only hit into two blocks by the Yellow Jackets. Black Hills State did win the service game with seven aces compared to Mines' five. The victory, pending other results on Saturday, keeps Mines within the top half of the RMAC standings while BHSU remains at the bottom.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After their four-set win on Friday night at South Dakota Mines, the Orediggers made the 50-mile drive north and west to Spearfish for a Saturday, South Dakota showdown. Mines was no worse for wear despite the hours spent on the bus and proved it by hammering out a .417 hitting percentage as a team on the way to a 25-14, set-one win. Knight highlighted the frame with six kills on 10 attempts while committing no errors. Stokes posted 12 assists and Duis ground out seven digs.
 
Black Hills State pulled closer in the second set but still fell, 25-21, as Mines moved just one win shy of the sweep. A team attack percentage of .343 helped with the game-two win. Emma Smithey's three kills on .600 hitting didn't hurt either. However, the Yellow Jackets nabbed frame three by a score of 25-17 thanks to .343 hitting to avoid the sweep. Then, the visiting Orediggers closed out the win. Morgan McChesney, Megan Neil, and Emily Knight all hammered down four kills with McChesney and Knight hitting .667 and .444, respectively, in the final set.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 14-1 in the all-time series against Black Hills State.
- Knight's 16 kills match her career high originally set at #22 Hillsdale earlier this season.
- Stokes' double-double is the 28th of her career. Neil's double-double marks the second of hers in as many nights.
- Head Coach Magalei now owns a career record of 326-106.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines' next action will be inside Lockridge Arena next Friday and Saturday as they host Western Colorado and Fort Lewis. Tickets for the matches can be purchased online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be offered as well.
 
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.