LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines volleyball team handled business in three sets Friday night as the Orediggers opened the RMAC Regional Pod with a victory at Colorado Christian.
Cadence McDonald led all players in the match with 10 kills while hitting .320 with two blocks and three digs.
Jenna McLaughlin and
Sophia Davila tallied eight kills each and both attacked at a .333 clip.
Kaiya Gilbert did her part on offense by way of 26 assists and four error-free kills. Gilbert helped on defense too, notching three total blocks and nine digs.
Francesca Nuzzo's 20 digs were tops in the back row, and
Avery Perreira added 10. At the net, McLaughlin and
Abbie O'Shay collected four blocks apiece.
With the win, Mines (10-3) recorded its third consecutive sweep and fifth of the season. The Orediggers accomplished the efficient victory by hitting .288 as a team while totaling nine blocks. Those blocks limited Colorado Christian (6-6) to an attack percentage of .035. The Cougars only managed two blocks of their own, but did match Mines' three service aces. Friday's match, as part of the RMAC Regional Pod, did not count in the conference standings – only toward overall record and potential NCAA tournament seeding.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines absolutely dominated the opening set, hitting .441 while holding Colorado Christian under .000 on the attack. That led to a 25-11 win for the visitors. The Cougars' defense stepped up in the second set and limited the Orediggers to a .079 attack percentage. However, CCU still hit in the negative and Mines grabbed a 25-15 victory. The final frame was the closest, with a final score of 25-20, but the Orediggers proved inevitable as they used six total blocks as a team to complete the sweep.
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 46-27 in the all-time volleyball series against Colorado Christian.
- Friday marked the first time the Orediggers swept the Cougars in Lakewood, Colo., since 2021.
- Perreira surpassed 300 digs in her college career on Friday night.
- Mines Head Coach
Jamie Magalei is now 394-150 in her 19th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts #24 MSU Denver Saturday at 5 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena in the second half of the RMAC Regional Pod.
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.
