LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team suffered its first loss of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play on Saturday in a 3-1 decision at Colorado Christian.
 
Kate Kudlac led the team on offense, providing 13 kills while hitting .324. Morgan McChesney notched double-digit kills as well with 10. Hannah Kinnison had a team-high 20 digs and Jada Price was right behind with 19 digs. Olivia Murillo joined the double-digit fun in that category by notching 12 digs. Jenna McLaughlin stood strong at the net, tallying five total blocks. Also notable were three total blocks and nine kills from Taylor Helms. Presley Powell dished out 34 assists, and had seven digs with two kills and one block.
 
The Orediggers (4-6, 1-1 RMAC) were limited to .160 on the attack due to 10 blocks by Colorado Christian (6-4, 1-1 RMAC). Mines did limit itself to two service errors, but only produced three service aces. Meanwhile, CCU pumped out eight service aces and overcame 24 attack errors by churning out 67 kills on .239 hitting.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines started the night with three strong sets of action which included a 25-23 win in the opening frame. That victory was driven by five kills apiece off the hands of Helms and Kudlac while McLaughlin recorded two blocks. Price, Kudlac, Murillo, and Kekililani Helikahi all ground out four digs apiece. The second and third games were decided by identical margins of 25-21, in favor of the Cougars. Set two featured nine combined kills from Kudlac and McChesney along with seven Price digs. The Oredigger highlight in game three was Kinnison pumping out 11 digs. Mines lost steam in the fourth set as CCU clinched the win with a 25-11 margin.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines still leads the all-time series with Colorado Christian, 43-25.
- The Orediggers are also 7-3 in their last 10 meetings with the Cougars.
- Saturday marked the first four-set contest between Mines and CCU since 2018.
- Helekahi's nine digs at CCU matched her best performance as an Oredigger.
- Kudlac produced career highs in kills and digs on Saturday night against the Cougars, notching 13 and seven.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 358-128 in her 17th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers host Westminster and Colorado Mesa at Lockridge Arena next Friday and Saturday as a part of the Colorado School of Mines Homecoming 2024 festivities. Free live video on the RMAC Network and live statistics of both matches will be available 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.