GUNNISON, Colo. – Saturday evening brought an end to the 2024 campaign for the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team after a four-set loss at Western Colorado.
 
Despite the defeat, the Orediggers had multiple standout performers. Hannah Kinnison put together a 19-kill, 12-dig double-double in the final match of her collegiate career while hitting .333. She also added an ace and two blocks. Taylor Helms hammered out 17 kills and produced a .333 mark on the attack. Jenna McLaughlin's 11 kills made it a trio of Orediggers with double-digit kill production. In the back row, Olivia Murillo ground out 18 digs. Additional defensive efforts by Mines included five blocks each from Helms and McLaughlin. The cherry on top was Hope Storm churning out 51 assists and two aces.
 
Overall, Mines (9-17, 5-9 RMAC) had 10 blocks as a team and hit .273. Western Colorado (12-15, 8-7 RMAC) produced nine blocks and posted a .276 attack percentage. Both teams had six aces and five service errors. Attack errors, assists, and digs were also comparable. However, WCU held edges in critical categories to get the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The home team took an early 1-0 lead after one set thanks to a 25-22 margin. That frame featured seven kills off the hand of Kinnison who hit .417 in the game. Helms' six kills on .364 hitting drove Mines' lone win of the night in a 25-16 second set. The Mountaineers used six blocks as a team for a 26-24 edge in the third set. Both teams hit over .400 in the final set of the night, and it resulted in six kills by Helms and four from Kinnison. McLaughlin had two blocks as well. In the end, WCU closed out the match with a 25-22 win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines still holds a 39-37 advantage in the all-time series against Western Colorado.
- Saturday marked the Orediggers' first loss to the Mountaineers since 2015.
- Kinnison's 19 kills were the most by a player in the match.
- Kinnison also added her 11th double-double as an Oredigger.
- Storm's 51 assists were a career high for the senior in the last match of her collegiate career, as were her two aces.
- Ava Swan came off the bench and has a collegiate best four kills.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 363-139 after her 17th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers move into the offseason and will focus on training and recruiting. Any and all postseason awards for Mines will be announced 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.