RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines Volleyball team faced Colorado Christian on Saturday evening hoping for a bounce back from the loss on Friday night.

The Hardrockers started the season well, but recently have struggled to get back to that form, that was the case again on Saturday evening, in a match that was not pretty with lots of errors from both sides.  

All three sets were hard-fought battles and competitive, but none of them went in the Hardrockers' favor.
 
The first set started very evenly with each team going back and forth, and earning, points, it wasn't until late in the set, when Colorado Christian gained an advantage, scoring two straight points to give them a four-point lead at 19-15. The Hardrockers' defensive play would force the Cougars into errors, cutting the lead to 22-21, before Colorado Christian would take the set 25-22.
 
Early in the second set, the Hardrockers had control, getting out to a 5-1 lead, on 5 kills from Emma Grimm, Lily Bartling (2), Sydney Crites, and Dejah Behrend. Later, South Dakota Mines held a 10-5 lead after going on a 5-2 run.  Colorado Christian fought back, cutting the lead to just 1, and the two sides would battle through the remainder of the set, with the Cougars once again emerging victorious, winning the set, 25-23.
 
The third set was a battle through with neither team gaining a significant edge or going on a significant run, the Hardrockers got strong play from Kiley Metzger, Behrend, Grimm, and Bartling, however, it would not be enough as Colorado took the set 27-25 to get the 3-0 victory.
 
Leaders
Emma Grimm and Kiley Metzger recorded double-doubles…Grimm led the team with 12 kills and added 11 digs…Metzger had a team-high 31 assists and added 11 digs…Katie Angel had 14 digs to lead the team.
 
Up Next
South Dakota Mines is on the road for a pair of contests next weekend, first heading to Utah to take on Westminster College for a 6:00 matchup on Friday night, followed by a trip to Colorado, to take on Colorado Mesa at 4:00 on Saturday.
 
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.