GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team started its 2024 season with a 3-1 win against Concord on Friday inside Lockridge Arena before falling to Missouri Western in straight sets on day one of the 2024 Oredigger Volleyball Classic presented by Marriott Denver West.
 
Graduate transfer Hannah Kinnison and freshman Taylor Helms were dominant forces on offense through Mines' split on opening day. Across two matches and seven sets, Kinnison stacked up 29 kills while hitting .300. She also had 18 digs and five total blocks on defense. Helms pumped out 25 kills at a .346 clip and added three total blocks. Freshman Jenna McLaughlin was also formidable on offense, tallying 22 kills in the middle. Defensively, freshman Avery Perreira stacked 27 digs and McLaughlin led the squad with six total blocks. Sophomore Presley Powell and freshman Brinleigh Davis split the setting duties. Powell averaged 10.17 assists per set and Davis checked in at 7.00 helpers per frame. Also notable were two service aces from Jada Price and five total blocks off the hands of Allison Jansen.
 
As a team, Mines (1-1) produced a .214 hitting percentage on the way to 99 total kills, tallied seven service aces, and had 13 total blocks. In comparison, Concord (0-2) and Missouri Western (1-1) combined to hit .217 against the Orediggers with 86 kills overall. The two opponents also worked out nine service aces and 15 total blocks. For some context, Concord finished the 2023 season 16-15 overall while MWSU was 21-10.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Two matches played simultaneously kicked off the 2024 Oredigger Classic at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning in Golden, Colo. It was the second session of the day that featured the hosts, with Mines opening its newest campaign at precisely 1 p.m. The Orediggers earned a back-and-forth, 25-22 win in game one thanks to six kills from Kinnison, five from McLaughlin, and four from Helms. Powell's 16 assists and Perreira's seven digs bolstered the wining effort. That led to a second set which was all Mines as Kinnison and Helms combined for 11 kills on 15 attempts with zero attack errors. The Orediggers hit .517 in the frame, winning 25-17. In the third set, the Concord Mountain Lions avoided a sweep by converting at .364 on offense and holding Mines to .190 in its efforts. The result was a 25-21 margin in favor of the visitors from West Virginia despite six more digs from Perreira. At the end of the day, Kinnison's six kills in the fourth set were two much for the Mountain Lions to overcome. The Orediggers won the game, 25-20, and the match.
 
Mines' second contest of the day was a very different story. Earlier in the day, unranked Missouri Western had pushed #5-ranked Concordia-St. Paul to five sets before falling, 3-2. The Griffons heartbreak left MWSU no worse for the wear. The visitors rudely took the first two games by scores of 25-17 and 25-16. Kinnson's seven, error-free kills in the first two sets proved to be the Orediggers only bright spot. Mines looked to close the margin in the third game and avoid the sweep. However, a final score of 25-23 sealed the fate for the host, even though Helms hammered down five kills, Powell notched 12 assists, and Jada Price had seven digs in the last frame.
 
NOTABLES
- The meeting between Mines and Concord was the first ever between the two programs, making the Orediggers 1-0 in the all-time series.
- Mines' loss to Missouri Western evened the rivalry at 1-1.
- Brinleigh Davis, Taylor Helms, Ava Swan, Olivia Murillo, and Avery Perreira all made their collegiate volleyball debuts on Friday.
- Hannah Kinnison, Kekililani Helekahi, Jenna McLaughlin, and Brianna Binder all appeared for the first time in an Oredigger uniform.
- Kinnson's 29 kills at 4.14 kills per set rank third after one day of the eight-team invitational. Helms' 25 kills (3.57 kps) are sixth.
- Kate Kudlac put up a career-high seven kills against Concord.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 355-123 in her 17th season at the helm.
 
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.