GUNNISON, Colo. --- The South Dakota Mines volleyball team was put in the position to need to mount a comeback for the second straight night, and for the second straight night, they put forth a valiant effort but were unable to finish it off.
The Hardrockers were in a battle from the beginning with Western Colorado on Saturday afternoon, with the first set being tightly contested, the second, third, and fifth each going to extra points.

In the first set, the Hardrockers held an early 3-1 lead thanks to a pair of early kills by Victoria Zagorski. The set would go back and forth, however, the Hardrockers would regain the momentum on a 5-1 run that was sparked by back-to-back Jacey Koethe kills. The Hardrockers were able to maintain their momentum and escape the first set with a 25-21 victory.

The second set was an absolute battle with neither team giving an inch. South Dakota Mines had a pair of big runs during the set, one of 4-0, and one of 5-0, however, the Mountaineers would answer each of them and anything else the Hardrockers had to offer, pulling out the set, 30-28.

The third set was another closely contested set that would need extra points to decide it. The Mountaineers would start this one with a 3-0 lead. The Hardrockers would bounce back quickly after a pair of kills by Zagorski, although it wouldn't be enough as just like in the second set, Western Colorado would pull out a close one, 27-25.

Now, the Hardrockers had their backs against the wall, and they played like their lives depended on it the fourth set, dominating it, starting with a 5-1 lead, and not allowing Western Colorado to ever get any momentum going, taking the set 25-14.

For the second straight night, the Hardrockers would go to a 5^th set. The Mountaineers started with the momentum winning 4 of the first 5 points, leading to a Hardrocker timeout. Western Colorado would continue to play well, forcing another timeout with the Hardrockers trailing 8-2. Out of the second timeout, the Hardrockers would begin to turn things around getting back-to-back kills from Sydney Crites to cut the deficit to 9-5. The Hardrockers would continue to fight back, after a block by Zagorski and Koethe would force a Mountaineer timeout with the Hardrockers trailing 10-7. The comeback would continue out of the time out with a Koethe and Zagorski kills to bring South Dakota Mines within 1, 10-9. The remainder of the 5^th would be back and forth, however, the Hardrockers would tie it at 11 off of another Zagorski kill, then proceed to take a 12-11 lead forcing a second timeout by Western Colorado. After that, the two sides would go back and forth. A match point would be deterred when Dejah Behrend blasted a kill to the floor, however, it would not be enough as the Hardrockers fell in 5 sets for the second straight match.

Notes
The Hardrockers had 72 kills, 63 assists, and 107 digs compared to 69, 61, and 102 for the Mountaineers…Sydney Crites, Jacey Koethe, and Victoria Zagorski had 15, 14, and 13 kills…Dejah Behrend had 5 blocks…Shyann Bastian had a double-double, recording 32 assists, and 21 digs…Katie Angel led the team in digs with 24…Anna Thomas, in her second appearance of the season, recorded 21 digs.  

Up Next
The Hardrockers head back home after four straight on the road and take on New Mexico Highlands and Adams State University on Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m.
 
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.