GOLDEN, Colo. – Colorado School of Mines volleyball found quality production in every facet of the game on Friday evening, and that fueled a 3-1 victory against CSU Pueblo as the Orediggers celebrated Parent Night inside Lockridge Arena.
 
On offense, Hannah Kinnison led all players with 20 kills on .529 hitting. Allison Jansen added six kills and hit .333. The duo of Kate Kudlac and Taylor Helms combined for 16 kills as well. Hope Storm coordinated it all by handing out 40 assists. In the service game, Jansen notched four aces and Avery Perreira three more. On defense, Morgan McChesney worked her way to nine total blocks at the night. Kinnison and Jansen tallied five blocks apiece. Helms also provided four blocks. Jada Price, Olivia Murillo, and Storm held down the back row by churning out nine digs each.
 
With the win, Mines (7-12, 4-5 RMAC) surged into a tie for eighth place in the conference standings which puts the Orediggers in the mix for a postseason berth. The loss dropped CSU Pueblo (12-7, 6-3 RMAC) into a three-way tie for fourth in the league table. The ThunderWolves had more kills (57), a better team attack percentage (.213), more assists (49), and more digs (58) than Mines. However, the home team offset the differences with 16 blocks and 10 aces. Fewer attack errors and fewer service errors gave the Orediggers the bump they needed to find victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
There were 40 ties and 18 lead changes across four sets of action on Friday night. Three of the four frames were decided by a total of six points. Needless to say, fans who attended the match in person got to witness a true thriller as evidenced by a 29-27 score in game one. Kinnison was the star with eight error-free kills on nine attempts resulting in a .889 attack percentage. Kudlac contributed five kills as well. Perreira's first ace of the night polished off the win for Mines.
 
McChesney carried the Orediggers in game two by knocking down four total blocks including three solo stuffs. Mines totaled seven blocks as a team in the set and neither team hit over .100. The other key was Jansen serving six straight points, carrying the Orediggers from 14-14 to 20-14. Her run included three service aces, and Mines eventually pulled out the 25-23 win on a solo block off the hands of Storm.
 
CSU Pueblo did not record an ace in the first two sets, but they found seven in the third set and avoided being swept with a 25-19 win. The ThunderWolves also had zero service errors and did not allow the Orediggers to record an ace of their own. However, CSU Pueblo's joy of not being swept was short lived. Kinnison came out in the fourth frame and hammered down seven more kills, including the match-winner. Price, Murillo, and Perreira all tallied service aces. Kinnison and McChesney teamed up for two more blocks as well. That, combined with four service errors by the ThunderWolves, was too much for the visitors to overcome. A late CSU Pueblo timeout disguised as a challenge simply put off the inevitable. The Pack found one more point before Kinnison put away the 25-23 win and the match.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 35-44 in the rivalry with CSU Pueblo, sitting 19-12 in Golden and 14-17 on the road.
- The Orediggers are also 7-3 in their last 10 meetings with the ThunderWolves.
- Mines' 16 blocks on Friday night are the most the Orediggers have produced in single match in at least a decade – if not more.
- The Orediggers' 10 service aces against CSU Pueblo are the most aces in a match since the fall of 2021.
- Jansen set a new career high with her four aces on The Pack.
- McChesney's nine blocks were a collegiate best for the junior, as were her three solo blocks.
- Perreira matched her personal record for aces in a match. She also had three against St. Martin's earlier this season.
- Storm's ace against the ThunderWolves was the first of her career. She also tied her collegiate best in total blocks with three.
- Jansen now boasts exactly 200 kills as a collegian.
- Price surpassed 700 digs for her career on Friday night.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 361-134 in her 17th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts Adams State on Saturday at 5 p.m. and will celebrate Senior Night immediately following the match.. Free live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be available. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on "X" (formerly Twitter) at @minesvolleyball and on Instagram at @mines.volleyball. They can also follow all of Mines Athletics year around on Facebook, "X", and Instagram at @MinesAthletics.