DENVER, Colo. – A five-set volleyball match between Colorado School of Mines and Regis ended in heartbreak for the Orediggers on Monday night.
 
Kate Kudlac led the visitors with 14 kills. Four other Orediggers notched double-digit kills as well. Allison Jansen had 13 kills, Hannah Kinnison notched 11 kills, Jenna McLaughlin recorded 10 kills, and Brianna Binder also had 10 kills. McLaughlin's kills came on .435 hitting. Presley Powell came off the bench and churned out 34 assists, three digs, two aces, one block, and one kill in just three sets. Olivia Murillo finished the night touting 15 digs. Kinnison and McLaughlin notched three blocks apiece. The cherry on the proverbial cake was a 10-kill, 15-dig double-double for Kinnison.
 
Mines (9-15, 5-7 RMAC) nearly defined the statistical odds in a potential upset after Regis (12-12, 8-4 RMAC) put up better numbers in a majority of the statistical categories. The Orediggers matched the Rangers in the service game and had more assists than the home team. However, at the end of the evening, RU knocked down 16 blocks and Mines only had five stuffs. Regis also hit over .250 and held its guests to .211 on the attack.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Regis claimed the first two sets by making late runs in otherwise tight contests. Kudlac and McLaughlin put down four kills each in the first set, but RU won 25-21. The second set saw six digs off the arms of Murillo and three kills from Jansen. Even so, the Ranger claimed a 25-17 win. The Orediggers avoided a sweep by hitting over .400 in the third frame on the way to a 25-16 win. That surge included six kills from Jansen, five kills from Binder, and four kills by McLaughlin. The fourth game saw Mines convert at a .342 clip thanks to Kudlac's nine kills. It resulted in a tight, 25-23 win for the visitors. However, in the decisive set, Regis hit over .600 and closed out the match with a 15-11 decision.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines must win both of its last two matches to even be considered for a berth in the 2024 RMAC Volleyball Tournament.
- Jansen's 13 kills matched her career high previously established against Western Colorado on the very same day last season.
- Monday marked Mines' sixth five-set match of the season.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 363-137 in her 17th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close out the regular season with a trip to Fort Lewis on Friday and Western Colorado on Saturday. Both matches will have free live video on the RMAC Network and free live stats linked at www.minesathletics.com.
 
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.