GOLDEN, Colo. --- The South Dakota Mines Volleyball team was facing a tough challenger on Friday night when it took on the #9 Colorado School of Mines.

The first set started with the Hardrockers out to a 6-5 lead, before the Orediggers would make a run, taking a 9-7 lead. The two teams would battle back and forth. With the Colorado School of Mines holding a 16-14 lead, they would begin to expand it, first to 19-14, then would eventually take the set 25-18.

The second set was a battle from the start to the finish. Colorado School of Mines jumped to an early 7-4 lead before the Hardrockers would begin to battle back, first cutting the lead to 9-7, then moments later beginning what would be a 4-0 run with 2 kills from Jacey Koethe, taking a 12-10 lead. The Orediggers would take control, retaking the lead, then expanding it to 18-14. South Dakota Mines would battle back once again, getting a pair of kills from freshman, AJ Harrell. South Dakota Mines would draw the set even at 20. The two sides would go back and forth from there forcing extra points. At 25-25, it was two straight points from South Dakota Mines and another kill by Harrell that closed out the set in favor of the Hardrockers, 27-25.

To start the third set, Colorado School of Mines scored the first three points, but it would be a back-and-forth battle from there. South Dakota Mines would even the score at four after 2 kills, and an ace from Koethe. The two teams would go back and forth with the Orediggers getting a bit of breathing room with a 12-10 advantage before a Sydney Crites kill would spur a 4-1 run, giving the Hardrockers a 14-13 lead. The two teams would battle over the next few minutes, with the Colorado School of Mines getting out to a 3-point advantage, up 22-19. They would be able to hold the lead, taking a 2 set – 1 lead after winning the set 25-22.

The fourth set was the same story as the first 3 sets, with each team battling for point-after-point. A Lily Bartling kill, followed by a Kiley Metzger ace, gave South Dakota Mines an early 5-3 lead. The Orediggers would build a 2-point lead and it would stay the Hardrockers were forced to call a timeout, down 17-14. The timeout would not slow the Oredigger momentum, as they would score 6 straight points, taking a 23-15 lead. South Dakota Mines would attempt to fight back but would fall 25-17.

More to come.....

Leaders
Sydney Crites and Jacey Koethe led the team with 16 and 14 kills….Koethe had an attacking percentage of .500 on the evening….Shyann Bastian and Kiley Metzger had 22 assists apiece….Addie Stanley had 21 digs to pace the Hardrockers….The Colorado School of Mines had a .294 compared to .179 from South Dakota Mines.

Looking Ahead
The volleyball team does not have much of a turnaround, as it is back it in under 24 hours at Chadron State, Saturday evening at 6:00 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.