RAPID CITY, S.D. – It took five sets on Saturday, but the #22 Oredigger volleyball team earned its 14th consecutive victory with a 3-2 win at South Dakota Mines.
Jenna McLaughlin spearheaded the win with 16 kills on .318 hitting and eight total blocks. She added two digs and one service ace as well.
Cadence McDonald,
Abbie O'Shay, and
Naomi Romslo bolstered the offense by knocking down 12 kills apiece. On defense, McDonald, O'Shay,
Sophia Davila, and
Kaiya Gilbert all recorded multiple blocks.
Francesca Nuzzo grinded out 26 digs as well. Gilbert's final line was a double-double after she dished out 50 assists.
Avery Perreira chipped in 10 digs and one ace with Davila adding 11 digs, five kills, and two aces too.
Colorado School of Mines (21-3, 10-2 RMAC) saw its streak of consecutive set victories snapped but still found the win after holding South Dakota Mines (18-6, 8-4 RMAC) to a .165 attack percentage. The loss also ended the Hardrockers' seven-match win streak. Even so, the home team posted 13 total blocks compared to 11 by the Orediggers. That held the visitors to a .209 attack percentage. The Colorado squad still hammered out 63 kills while SDM managed 57. The Orediggers' win combined with UCCS' loss to Fort Lewis on Saturday put Colorado School of Mines in a tie for second place with Colorado Mesa in the conference standings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Each set was a knock-down, drag-out fight. During the first frame there were nine ties but only one lead change. The Orediggers made their move at 17-17 and pulled away for a 25-17 win. McLaughlin went 5-for-5 on kills and attempts in the opening set with three blocks. McDonald added five kills as well. The script was similar in the second set, but flipped for South Dakota Mines. The Hardrockers surged after a 15-15 tie to win 25-18. Then, there was another 17-17 tie in third set followed by another home-team surge which gave SDM a 25-20 win and 2-1 lead in the match.
Despite facing a potential 3-1 loss, Colorado School of Mines didn't blink. The Orediggers earned a 25-20 win the fourth set thanks to five more kills by McLaughlin and seven digs each from Gilbert and Davila. The visitors eventually owned the fifth set which ended 15-10. Two kills apiece from McDonald, Romslo, and Davila with Nuzzo's five digs closed out the five-set thriller. In total, Saturday's engineering showdown featured 29 ties and 12 lead changes across five sets.
NOTABLES
- The Orediggers improved to 12-7 in the all-time series against South Dakota Mines.
- Three of the last four meetings between Colorado School of Mines and SDM have gone five sets.
- The last time the Orediggers lost a set before Saturday was Sept. 18.
- Gilbert now has 839 assists as a true freshman. She also boasts 10 double-doubles.
- Gilbert also matched her single-match best with 50 assists.
- McDonald moved over 300 career kills.
- Mines Head Coach
Jamie Magalei is now 405-150 in her 19th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts Chadron State and Regis next Friday and Saturday.
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.
