RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines volleyball team hosted the Griffins from Westminster College Friday night at Goodell Gymnasium. The Hardrockers would take the RMAC match in three sets (25-15; 25-16; 25-23).
How It Happened - The Hardrockers started the first set on fire as they scored the first four points and would lead early 10-3. Halfway through the set, the Hardrockers led 13-8. The Griffins would score a couple of points to bring the score to 14-10.
Dejah Behrend's kill gave the Hardrockers a 20-12 advantage. The Griffins called a timeout to try and stop the Hardrockers' momentum with the score 23-15.
Anna Thomas served up the last two points for the 25-15 Hardrocker win. Behrend led the Hardrockers with four kills, while
Jacey Koethe had three blocks.
South Dakota Mines jumped out to an early 5-2 lead with great play up front.
Paisley Gibson's kill gave the Hardrockers a 9-4 lead. The Hardrockers extended their lead 12-5 with a service ace by
Kiley Metzger.
Lily Bartling's kill put the Hardrockers up 16-8. The Griffins used a timeout with the Hardrockers up 22-11. The Griffins made a little run at the end, but the Hardrockers put it away with Gibson's kill to win 25-16. Gibson led the Hardrockers in set two with five kills. Koethe added four kills.
Victoria Zagorski started the Hardrockers right out of the gate with a big kill. The two teams traded leads early. The score was tied 5-5 when Behrend got the lead with a kill. The Hardrockers rattled off four straight points and forced Westminster to call a timeout, leading 8-5. The Hardrockers led 14-9 till the Griffins made a run to bring the score to 15-12. Thomas's ace put the Hardrockers up 18-14. The Griffins would again take a timeout with the Hardrockers up 19-14. The Griffins would bring the score 20-18 and force the Hardrockers to take a timeout of their own. Westminster would tie the set at on a lengthy rally. Gibson finishes the match with a kill to give the Hardrockers the win 25-23.
Notes – Gibson would lead the Hardrockers with 11 kills on the night. Metzger ended the match with 27 assists. Behrend would have 5 total blocks, while Thomas had 15 digs.
Up Next - The win brings the Hardrockers record to 6-11 overall and 3-6 in RMAC conference play. The Hardrockers will take on Colorado Mesa Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM at the King Center.
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 10 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.
