RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines volleyball matched up against the Mountain Lions from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Thursday night in the King Center. This match was part of the RMAC Power Pod and did not count towards RMAC standings.
The Hardrockers did not care, however, as they would sweep the Mountain Lions 3-0 (25-17; 25-21; 25-19). This is the third win in a row for South Dakota Mines and their eighth win in their last 11 matches. They are 14-7 overall and 7-3 in the RMAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hardrockers got off to a great start in the first set, leading 5-1 after back-to-back aces from
Kiera Walsh.
Emma Grimm would stay at the service line for three straight points, sandwiching an ace in between kills by
Kiley Metzger and
Annelise Larson. Eventually, the Hardrocker would take an 18-8 lead, going on to win the set, 25-17 after never trailing.
In the second set, the Hardrockers and Mountain Lions were neck and neck for most of the set. Neither team held more than a two-point lead until SDM went up 20-17. Moments later, three straight points by Walsh on a kill and two aces gave South Dakota Mines a 24-19 lead. The Hardrockers would go on to win the second set by four points, 25-21. Through two sets,
Ivy Vindivich led South Dakota Mines with nine kills while
Alessandra Meoni had seven.
Kiera Walsh had four serving aces through two sets.
After trailing 7-5 early in the third set, the Hardrockers fought back to take a 13-10 lead. UCCS would tie the set at 13-13. Moments later, a four-point South Dakota Mines' run followed, taking a 17-13 lead and that was all the breathing room they needed. Three more unanswered points gave South Dakota Mines a 23-18 advantage, before closing it out 25-19.
NOTES
Alessandra Meoni led the Hardrockers with 13 digs...
Kiley Metzger tallied 29 assists…
Hannah Benes reached double digits with 11 digs…
Kiera Walsh recorded six service aces and four blocks…As a team, the Hardrockers hit .263 while UCCS hit .216.
UP NEXT
To finish up the RMAC Power Pod, the Hardrockers will take on Fort Lewis on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in a non-conference matchup.
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 13 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.
