ALAMOSA, Colo. – Saturday evening saw Mines volleyball claim its second straight sweep as the Orediggers downed Adams State in straight sets on the Grizzlies' home court.
Abbie O'Shay led all players with 10 kills while posting a .375 attack percentage.
Cadence McDonald and
Jenna McLaughlin added nine kills apiece with McDonald hitting .400 and McLaughlin converting at .389.
Caroline Walden came off the bench with six kills on .400 hitting. On defense, McLaughlin notched four total blocks and
Francesca Nuzzo provided 16 digs. Also notable were 11 digs by
Avery Perreira, eight kills off the hand of
Sophia Davila, and
Kaiya Gilbert's 38 assists.
As a team, Mines (9-3, 2-2 RMAC) only hit .265 after Adams State (6-8, 2-2 RMAC) registered 12 blocks. The Orediggers also overcame six service aces by the Grizzlies to get the win. On the other side, Mines had 52 points on 46 kills while grinding out 48 digs. The Orediggers were only the second team this season to sweep ASU.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Scoring went back and forth during the first game of the match. The opening set was tied 19-19 before kills from McDonald and McLaughlin forced an ASU timeout. That break provided little help for the home team. An attack error and a Davila kill pushed Mines to a 23-19 lead. The Grizzlies found one more kill, but Davila struck again and created set point before McLaughlin's attack forced a poor set and clinched the 25-20, first-set win for the Orediggers. Davila closed the first frame touting five kills and four digs. Perreira and Nuzzo combined for 11 digs.
There were nine ties and two lead changes in the second set. Mines made its push in similar fashion. A
Caroline Walden kill and an ASU attack error forced a timeout for the home team at 22-19. After the break, McDonald dished out back-to-back kills. O'Shay polished off the 25-19 win, pushing the Orediggers to a 2-0 lead in the match. The final set had narrow margins, but there were only three ties and one lead change. Four kills each from McLaughlin and Walden fueled the 25-20 win. Gilbert added 12 assists and Nuzzo had five more digs as Mines closed out the sweep.
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 37-35 all-time against Adams State.
- The Orediggers have swept the Grizzlies 11 time since 2014.
- Mines has swept five of its 12 opponents this season.
- McLaughlin went over 600 collegiate kills and 100 digs on Saturday.
- Mines Head Coach
Jamie Magalei is now 393-150 in her 19th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines plays at Colorado Christian next Friday and hosts MSU Denver on 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.
