RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines volleyball team continues to play well this season as they now sit at 14-8 overall and 7-3 in RMAC play.
After splitting last week's
non-RMAC matchups, the
Hardrockers have a pair at home, closing out their regular season schedule as they try to battle for home court in the conference tournament.
GAME INFORMATION
CCU
Date/Time: Nov. 3 / 6:00 p.m. MT
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: CCU leads 9-2.
Streak: South Dakota Mines Won 1
Series at South Dakota Mines: CCU leads 5-0.
Streak at South Dakota Mines: CCU Won 5
Last Meeting: South Dakota Mines won in Lakewood, 3-2 (10/1/22)
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines
Chadron State
Date/Time: Nov. 4 / 6:00 p.m. MT
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: Chadron State leads 25-20 (Since 1995).
Streak: Chadron State Won 1
Series at South Dakota Mines: Chadron State leads 10-9 (Since 1995).
Streak at South Dakota Mines: Chadron State Won 1.
Last Meeting: Chadron State won in Chadron, 3-0 (9/28/23).
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines
HEAVY HITTER
Alessandra Meoni has had no trouble adjusting as a junior college transfer as she has had a great year, sitting in fourth in the RMAC with 3.35 kills/set and just outside the top-10 leaguewide with a .318 hitting percentage. Meoni also averages 3.63 points per set, eighth best in the RMAC.
CONSISTENT CAPTAIN
Hannah Benes, sophomore captain and defensive specialist/libero is dangerous in multiple ways, night after night. Benes averages .65 service aces per set (1st RMAC, 3rd NCAA Division II). Benes also does a great job on the defensive side, averaging 4.57 digs per set, second in the RMAC.
RISING ABOVE THE NET
Kiera Walsh has continued to improve her play as a middle blocker as the season has gone on. She has averaged 4.3 blocks per match over the last couple of weeks, including matches where she recorded six and nine blocks and has three or more in six of the last seven matches. Walsh is now averaging one block per set, fourth best in the RMAC.
METZGER MILESTONE
The Hardrockers' other captain, Kiley Metzger is also consistently great night in and night out as one of the best setters in the RMAC and one of the best in school history. Currently, Metzger sits in eighth in the RMAC with 8.73 assists per set. On Saturday against Fort Lewis, Metzger recorded 53 assists, the most for a Hardrocker in nearly a decade when Elizabeth Jensen recorded 54 in a match against Missouri Southern State.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
The Hardrockers allow opponents to hit just .175 off of them and are also fourth in the RMAC in blocks. If you get it by the blockers, the back row averages 16.63 digs per set, second in the RMAC.
PROTECTING HOME COURT
The Hardrockers have been dominant on their home court this season as they are holding a 5-2 record with their only losses coming against #6 MSU Denver and Fort Lewis. Early on they knocked off CSU Pueblo in five sets and the Thunderwolves have been on fire, winning five in a row, including beating #6 MSU Denver.
SCOUTING CCU
CCU has a 10-12 overall record but has played better in conference as they are battling for the six seed at 5-5 in RMAC play.
Renee Phillips is hitting .328 on the year while averaging 3.65 kills per set. Both of those numbers are top-6 in the RMAC.
Izzy Jones has been out of late but is fourth in the RMAC in assists per set and aces per set. Her fill-in has been Krista Traynor who had 41 assists in their win over CSU Pueblo last weekend.
Renee Phillips and Lilly Woods each average .82 blocks per set, sitting just outside the top 10.
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
One of the teams CCU is battling for the sixth seed is Chadron State, also coming to the King Center this weekend. The Eagles are also 5-5 in the RMAC but are 12-10 overall.
Chadron State has been much less successful on the road than at home this season, with records of 7-3 on their home floor and 3-5 in true road matches.
Most recently, they went down to Adams State for the Power Pod for a pair of non-RMAC matchups against New Mexico Highlands and Adams State University and were able to come away with a victory against the Cowgirls.
Mayson Fago and Aiyana Fujiyama are dangerous as Fago is 13th in the league in kills per set, while Fujiyama is 14th in hitting percentage.
Kendyl Kirkwood averages 8.88 assists per set, placing her 7th in the conference.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the last two home matches of the regular season, the Hardrockers head to Westminster and Colorado Mesa to wrap up the regular season on Friday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11.
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.
