SALT LAKE CITY – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team opened the road portion of its conference schedule on Friday night with a four-set loss to Westminster.
 
Oredigger middle blocker Emily Knight knocked down 13 kills which led all players in the match, and she did it hitting .333. Outside hitter Rose Stuewe also had double-digit kills, notching 11 along with four digs and a block. Mines setter Presley Powell finished touting 44 assists, nine digs, and one block. On defense, libero Jada Price put up 11 digs, and outside hitter Madison Glassco tallied 10 digs. Also notable were three total blocks by opposite Shannon Perna.
 
As a team, Mines (6-5, 1-2 RMAC) had more kills and assists than Westminster (4-8, 2-2 RMAC). However, the Griffins overcame the difference with 16 total blocks and five service aces. In comparison, the Orediggers posted eight total blocks and two service aces. Twelve service errors were also prohibitive for Mines.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set of the evening saw the visiting Orediggers post a .343 attack percentage. However, Mines fell victim to six service errors in the frame and dropped a narrow, 27-25 decision despite four kills apiece from Morgan McChesney, Perna, and Knight. Westminster took the momentum from the extra-points victory and rolled to a 25-14 win in game two. Five total blocks by the home team held the Orediggers to .034 on the attack while the Griffins posted a .429 mark.
 
Mines avoided the sweep by winning game three, 25-20. Stuewe boasted six kills in the frame and Knight notched five. Powell also had 14 assists while Glassco tossed up four digs and three kills. In the end, the Orediggers could not parlay the game-three win into another victory. Westminster took the final set by a 25-14 score. The fourth game featured seven total blocks by the Griffins including back-to-back stuffs to end the match.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 10-1 in the all-time series against Westminster.
- Two of Perna's blocks were solo stuffs which tied her career high in a single match.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei now boasts a career record of 346-115 in her 16th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines is slated to face #11 Colorado Mesa on Friday at 4 p.m. in Grand Junction, Colo. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be linked 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.