GOLDEN, Colo. – The Orediggers rolled out a youth-filled lineup to start the 2023 season, but it was the veterans that pushed #22-ranked Colorado School of Mines Volleyball to a pair of four-set wins against Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State on day one of the Oredigger Classic inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Rose Stuewe was the team's kills leader at the event presented by Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott, touting 33 kills on .313 hitting across eight sets. The outside hitter also racked up four total blocks. Madison Glassco and Shannon Perna were next on the list with 22 kills apiece. Glassco augmented her resume by grinding out 13 digs as well. Also notable among the veterans was Emily Knight who finished the day boasting 18 kills on .357 hitting in the middle. She also added five total blocks.
 
While the impact of the veterans could not be overstated, Mines' youth showed out as well. Topping the list of outstanding underclassmen was true freshman setter Presley Powell. She churned out a pair of double-doubles on the way to 108 assists, 22 digs, four service aces, and three total blocks. Sophomore Jada Price donned the libero jersey for the first time and walked away with 34 digs at a clip of 4.25 digs per set. Redshirt freshman Allison Jansen came off the bench and hammered out 12 kills at a clip of .524 along with one block. Not to be overlooked were 10 total blocks from sophomore middle Morgan McChesney.
 
Overall, Mines hit .283 as a team and held its opponents to .143 on the attack. The Orediggers' offensive edge was fueled by an 18-9 advantage in blocks on defense. Mines also kept it close in the service game, producing eight aces compared to nine combined between Fort Hays State (0-2), and Pittsburg State (0-2). In total, eight out of the 13 Orediggers to appear on the court on Friday were within their first two years of collegiate play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It took the Orediggers less than two hours to complete four sets of volleyball in their first action of 2023. Mines started the year with a 25-18 win against Fort Hays State thanks to Stuewe pounding out six kills on eight attempts with zero errors. The hosts grabbed a 2-0 lead in the match thanks to a 25-20 win in game two. Stuewe stuck again in that frame with five kills on seven attempts with zero errors. That also helped Powell churn out 18 assists. The setter added five digs as well. Fort Hays State avoided the sweep by grabbing a 25-23 game as the Tigers hit .333, easily their most efficient set of the match. However, Mines' offense was too much for FHSU. In the fourth, and final, game, the Orediggers hit .444 as a team. McChesney led the charge with four kills, zero errors, and two solo blocks. Price's seven digs in a single game didn't hurt the 25-18 win either.
 
Mines' second match of the day was a gritty, knock-down, drag-out experience against Pittsburg State. The first two sets were combined by a total of four points. The Orediggers were victorious in game one by a score of 26-24. It was Glassco's four kills on .400 hitting that made the difference. The Gorillas evened the match with a 25-23 win in game two despite Price racking up eight digs while going five-for-five in service receptions. While Pitt State attempted to keep the third frame close, Jansen came off the bench and put up four kills on .571 hitting to give the home team a 25-18 win. That was all the hosts needed. They dominated the fourth set, 25-14, as Knight (insert aggressive verb here) out seven kills on nine attempts with zero errors. That gave her a .778 hitting percentage for the frame. Price added seven digs and Powell had two aces for good measure.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 16-27 in the all-time series against Fort Hays State while winning its second straight over the Tigers.
- The Orediggers are 1-0 against Pittsburg State as Friday marked the inaugural meeting between the two programs on the volleyball court.
- Mines is 2-0 for the ninth time in the last decade and the 14th time in the last 16 years.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei took the helm in 2008 and is responsible for all 14 2-0 starts.
- Stuewe sits 43 kills away from 1,000 for her collegiate tenure.
- Knight surpassed 300 kills in her career as an Oredigger.
- Shannon Perna also moved over the 300-career kills milestone on Friday night. She also boasts exactly 200 digs in her time as a collegian.
- Price's performance on Friday pushed her passed 100 digs for her career.
- Day one of the Oredigger Classic included Mines debuts for Renata Bolado Corona, Kate Kudlac, Naomi Romslo, Presley Powell, and Allison Jansen.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues, and closes, the 2023 Oredigger Volleyball Classic on Saturday with matches against San Francisco State and Findlay at 11 a.m., and 4 p.m., respectively. Live video of all Oredigger Classic matches will be offered for free at www.minesathletics.com/tv. Free live stats will also be offered at www.minesathletics.com/orediggerclassic.
 
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.