GOLDEN, Colo. – A fifth consecutive win came to the Mines volleyball team Saturday after the Orediggers swept Westminster at Lockridge Arena.
 
Balanced scoring fueled the victory. Jenna McLaughlin recorded 11 kills on .333 hitting with three total blocks. Naomi Romslo had 10 kills with a .500 attack percentage while adding five digs and one block. Eight more kills from Abbie O'Shay at a .375 capped the highlights offense. Defensively, O'Shay added four blocks and Amanda Donais Dudley tallied three total stuffs. Jada Price put up 15 digs and Francesca Nuzzo ground out 10 digs. Price, Nuzzo, and Avery Perreira each recorded a service ace.
 
The victory, as previously mentioned, extended Mines' (16-4, 7-3 RMAC) to five matches. An attack percentage differential of .286-.083 was the difference in the match. Westminster (12-8, 5-5 RMAC) suffered its first loss after knocking off Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction on Tuesday. The Orediggers won every statistical category and did not allow a single Griffin to have double-digit kills. With the victory, Mines moved into a tie for fourth in the RMAC standings. Westminster dropped into a tie for eighth. The only teams ahead of the Orediggers in the RMAC are UCCS (9-1), MSU Denver (9-1) and Fort Lewis (8-2).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Westminster scored first in all three sets. Clearly, that did not deter the Orediggers. A big block in the opening frame helped Mines rally to a 25-16 win. O'Shay, Donais Dudley, and McLaughlin all had multiple blocks which contributed to the Orediggers' five-block performance. McLaughlin also added four kills without a single attack error. Mines' defensive prowess evolved into a showcase of efficiency on offense in the second set. The home team hit .303 as O'Shay hammered out four kills on .667 hitting. A total of eleven service errors also took place in game two. Mines took the frame by a score of 25-21.
 
What seemed inevitable was inevitable. In the third, and final, set, Romslo and McLaughlin combined to knock down nine kills with just one error between the two. Hailee Martinez handed out 13 assists. Price produced seven digs. The final score was 25-15 and Mines clinched the sweep.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 13-1 all-time against Westminster.
- Hailee Martinez averaged 11.00 assists per set.
- Despite the straight-set decision, Saturday's match included 25 ties and nine led changes.
- Mines has swept the Griffins seven times in 14 meetings.
- McLaughlin surpassed 200 kills for the season on Saturday.
- Olivia Murillo now boasts over 400 digs in her college career.
- The Orediggers have defeated two of the three teams in front of them in the RMAC standings, and they'll face UCCS next weekend. However, the match against UCCS and the win against MSU Denver will not count towards the league rankings.
- Mines Head Coach Jamie Magalei is now 380-143 in her 18th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines heads to Durango, Colo., next weekend for the RMAC Power Pod which includes matches against UCCS and Fort Lewis. Free live stats will be available, as well as live video with a subscription to the RMAC Network.
 
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.