The South Dakota School of Mines volleyball team won its first RMAC match of the season against Westminster, 3-1.

The Hardrockers outranked the Griffins in every statistical category which led them to win the match, 20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23.

To open the match, the Griffins jumped out to a 5-0 lead.  The Hardrockers were able to claw their way back into the set, but were unable to tame the offensive efforts of the Griffin's outside hitters.

The Griffins came out in a similar fashion in set two as they jumped out to a 9-2 lead.  The 'Rockers were unfazed by this serving run by the Griffins and were able to find their confidence in composure as the set progressed.  The Hardrockers were able to take control of the match at point 16 after a kill from Victoria Zagorski.  Anna Thomas then went on to rattle off 6 straight points from the service line, which put the Hardrocker offense in prime position.  The Hardrockers then looked to middle blocker Jacey Koethe to close the match as she tallied three consecutive kills.

In set 3 the two team traded points up until point 16 until the Hardrockers found themselves on another 6-point run with Thomas behind the service line.  They closed the set with a kill from Shyann Bastian, 25-18. 

In set 4, the Hardrockers earned almost every single point, as they posted a season high 23 kills in the set. The 'Rockers were swinging away and were able to take control of the set as they jumped to 17-9 lead behind yet another Thomas serving run.

The 'Rocker defense was able to hold the Westminster Griffins to a .167 hitting percentage.  The Griffins were led by outside hitter Lydia Miller who tallied 18 kills on 59 attempts. 

The Hardrockers had three hitters post double digit kills, Dana Thomson, Caryn Hazard, and Jacey Koethe.  The three combined for a total of 46 kills.  As a team, the Hardrockers had 64 kills on 194 attempts, good for a .253 hitting percentage.   Koethe had an impressive .417 hitting percentage as she had 12 kills on 24 total attacks; she also chipped 4 blocks on the night.  Shyann Bastian paced the 'Rocker offense with a match high 45 assists and 7 kills and Anna Thomas posted a match high 27 digs.

The Hardrockers look to carry their momentum to tomorrow's match at Dixie State.