GOLDEN, COLO. --- The South Dakota Mines volleyball team has lost three straight and things will not get easier this weekend as they are in the thick of RMAC play and head to Golden, Colorado for a matchup with the Colorado School of Mines on Friday for a contest with the #9 Orediggers at 7:00 p.m. Following that match, the Hardrockers head to Chadron to take on the Eagles of Chadron State for a 6:00 start time on Saturday.

Series History
vs. Colorado School of Mines

• In the matchups dating back to 2015, the Hardrockers and Orediggers have met 6 times, with the Orediggers emerging victorious 5 of those times.
• The first four matchups were won by the Colorado School of Mines.
• The Colorado School of Mines won the most recent matchup on 2/7/21.
• The lone Hardrocker victory came on 10/5/19 when the Orediggers were ranked #19 in the country.

vs. Chadron State

• Since 1995, these two schools have met 39 times.
• The matchups have been fairly even, with Chadron State holding a 23-16 edge.
• Most of that difference has come in recent years, with Chadron State winning 10 of the last 12 matchups dating back to 11/6/15.

Gold Nuggets

• The Hardrocker Volleyball team has started the season 6-4. The Hardrockers started the season off, with 2 tournaments, going 3-1 in each, including an upset victory over then-ranked #19 Northern State.
• Conference play has not been kind thus far, falling to Black Hills State University and Western Colorado University, and now in the midst of a 3-match losing streak.
• The Hardrockers have been successful thanks to their defense and balance.
• Defensively, the team is near the top of the RMAC in opponent hitting percentage, allowing teams to hit .160, putting the Hardrockers 2^nd in the RMAC.
• South Dakota Mines is also near the top in digs, with a total of 670 over 39 sets, which averages out to 17.18 per set, also the second-best number in the conference.
• Dejah Behrend, Jacey Koethe, and Victoria Zagorski have been critical to the balance on both sides of the net as they are 1, 2, and 3 on the team in both kills, and blocks.

Scouting Report
Colorado School of Mines

• The Orediggers have had a great start to the year, as they are currently 9-1 and the #9 team in the country.
• They lost to Southwest Minnesota State on 9/4, and have not lost since, winning 6 in a row.
• This will be a battle of offense vs. defense as the Orediggers' strength is the offensive side of the net.
• The Colorado School of mines has the best hitting percentage in the conference by a wide margin, sitting at .324 while the next closest is .262.
• The Orediggers also lead the RMAC in kills and assists.
• Taylor Hicken, Amanda Donais, and Julia Eiken are 1^st, 3^rd, and 7^th in the RMAC in hitting percentage.
• Hicken is also 3^rd in kills and leads the RMAC in points.
• Drew Stokes of the Orediggers leads the conference in assists.

Chadron State

• The Eagles have struggled a bit out of the gates, to a 2-7 record.
• Chadron State won 2 out of its' first 3 matches and now has lost 6 in a row.
• One of the main reasons for their struggles has been their offensive play. Currently, they are dead last in the RMAC in hitting percentage with a mark of .116.
• Devyn Volz and Rylee Greiman are the leaders thus far on the season.
• Volz is tied for first in the conference in aces, averaging .57 per set.
• Greiman does a great job keeping the ball off the floor, averaging 3.97 digs per set, putting her 8^th in the RMAC.

Looking Ahead
After this weekend's contests, the Hardrockers come back home to Goodell Gymnasium to take on Black Hills State University on Sept. 28^th at 7:00 p.m. and follow that with a matchup against Regis University on Oct. 2^nd at 3:00 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.