GOLDEN, Colo. – Outstanding play in the back row and efficient hitting helped the #21 Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team earn a sweep against Fort Lewis on Saturday evening inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Elle Duis guided the back-row play with 20 digs in three sets while adding three assists. Shannon Perna spearheaded Mines' efficient attack by knocking down 15 kills on a .483 attack percentage. She added seven digs and two blocks as well. Emily Knight also touted double-digit kills, finishing with 10 on .318 hitting to go along with three blocks. Morgan McChesney augmented the Oredigger defense by putting up five total blocks. Rounding out the list of top performers was Drew Stokes who boasted 41 assists, six digs, two kills, one block and one service ace. For a second straight night, Audrey Richard posted two service aces as well.
 
Duis' 20 digs highlighted a 56-40 advantage in that category for the Orediggers (10-4, 5-1 RMAC). Mines owned every other statistical category as well, including a 4-1 edge in service aces and a 9-4 margin in total blocks. The latter category helped hold Fort Lewis (4-8, 2-4 RMAC) to a .150 attack percentage while the home team converted at a .330 clip. With the victory, Mines extended its win streak to five matches and the Orediggers stayed tied for the second-best record in conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines volleyball started its Saturday by celebrating its 2021 RMAC Tournament title at the Oredigger football game where the ladies also cheered Mines on to a 45-17 win over CSU Pueblo on the gridiron. The Orediggers then journeyed up the hill to Lockridge Arena where they needed less than 80 minutes to dispatch the Skyhawks in straight sets.
 
The turning point of the entire match came in the very first set. The home team saw itself facing a 12-9 deficit to a scrappy FLC team. Head Coach Jamie Magalei called a timeout which led to a Perna kill on the very next rally to make it 12-10. That gave Veronique Magnan the ball in service and she sparked Mines to a 6-0 run. The surge eventually turned into a 9-1 roll, giving the Orediggers an 18-13 lead and that was all she wrote. Perna's six, first-set kills along with Duis' seven digs and Jada Price's five digs gave the home team a 25-18 win in just 23 minutes.
 
Game two started with Fort Lewis taking leads of 5-0 and 6-1, but later looked to be all Orediggers as they rallied to a 19-13 lead. The Skyhawks put the set win in question with a surge, but Perna hammered out five more kills in the set and Knight notched four to give Mines a 25-21 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. After that, it was all Orediggers. Mines torched Fort Lewis in the third frame to the tune of .577 hitting while holding FLC to .077 on its own attack. The match-clinching point featured McChesney on the serve and a scramble off a Duis dig and an athletic set by Stokes to set up Perna who hammered it home for a 25-11 win.
 
NOTABLES
- Saturday's win gave Mines the lead in the all-time series with Fort Lewis, 36-35.
- The Orediggers have now won 20 straight matches against the Skyhawks. However, Saturday marked Mines' first sweep of FLC since Sept. 27, 2019.
- Fort Lewis' trip to Golden this weekend was its first since 2018. The Skyhawks have not taken a match off the Orediggers since 2007.
- Redshirt freshman Ella Martin made her collegiate debut against Fort Lewis, notching one kill, one block, and two digs.
- Over her last two matches, Duis has posted 41 digs in seven sets for an average of 5.8 digs per set.
- Richard put up multiple service aces for the fifth time in her career.
- Madison Glassco recorded the first career block on Saturday evening. It was a solo stop.
- McChesney's five total blocks were also a single-match, career high.
- Stuewe's nine kills against Fort Lewis put her over 700 kills for her career.
- Over the last nine calendar days, since Friday, Sept. 16, Mines Athletics is 11-0 in head-to-head competition and also claimed team titles in both cross country races.
- Head Coach Magalei now owns a career record of 328-106.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The next action for the Orediggers will be a road trip to Adams State and New Mexico Highlands next Friday and Saturday. Live coverage will 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.