RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines volleyball team has had the best season in program history since the DII era began in 2011. They have the most wins, most conference wins, and are coming off hosting their first RMAC playoff match on Tuesday when they faced CSU Pueblo at the King Center.
The Hardrockers were victorious on Tuesday night in a raucous atmosphere, earning the right to play in the semifinals against #1 seed MSU Denver on Friday evening at 5:00 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
MSU Denver
Date/Time: Nov. 17 / 5:00 p.m. MT
Site: Denver, Colo.
Arena: Auraria Event Center
Series Overall: MSU Denver leads 9-1.
Streak: MSU Denver Won 4
Series at MSU Denver: MSU Denver leads 5-0.
Streak at MSU Denver: MSU Denver Won 5
Last Meeting: MSU Denver won in Rapid City, 3-0 (10/14/23).
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines (Pay-per-view)
SPECIAL SEASON
The Hardrockers have had their best season in Division II history, having won 17 regular season games and a home RMAC playoff quarterfinal matchup with CSU Pueblo.
They've won the most games, most conference games, and had the best home record, among many other milestones and records.
CONSISTENT CAPTAIN
Hannah Benes has had a very strong season, ranking first in the RMAC aces per set and second in digs per set with .57 and 4.72 per set.
CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
Kiera Walsh has gotten stronger and stronger as the season has moved on and has become tough to get by as a blocker. She is averaging .97 blocks per set, sitting in sixth in the RMAC.
SPECIAL SETTER
Kiley Metzger continues to have a great season, setting up her teammates for great scoring opportunities. In the last weekend of the regular season, she had 81 assists. She recorded 48 on Saturday against Colorado Mesa. She combined for just one total error in the two matches.
DANGEROUS HITTERS
The Hardrockers have a pair of top-five RMAC hitters in Alessandra Meoni and Ivy Vindivich. Vindivich is fourth with 3.42 kills per set and Meoni is right behind her with 3.41 per set.
ACES IN THE DECK
The Hardrockers lead the RMAC by a wide margin in aces, averaging 2.06 per set. Benes as mentioned above, leads the RMAC with .57, but Josey Wickersham and Kiera Walsh are fourth and fifth, averaging .42 and .41 per set. Rachel Mau is also in the top 10, averaging .37 per set.
HONORS
The RMAC just announced the on-court honors for the 2023 season and four student-athletes were honored with selections to the teams. Ivy Vindivich was named Freshman of the Year and to the second team along with Hannah Benes and Alessandra Meoni. Kiley Metzger earned an honorable mention nod.
MOVING ON
The Hardrockers moved on after hosting CSU Pueblo in the opening round of the quarterfinals. That match was a thrilling five-set victory for the Hardrockers in front of an electric crowd. Paisley Gibson (17 kills, 13 digs), Alessandra Meoni (17 kills), Jenna Curtis (13 kills), Kiley Metzger (51 assists), and Hannah Benes (32 digs, 8 assists) were standouts for the Hardrockers, among others.
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
MSU Denver earned the #1 seed in the RMAC after a 21-5 season with a 12-1 RMAC record. Their lone RMAC loss came against CSU Pueblo.
Their offense is always strong as they are first in the RMAC in points per set (17.98), fourth in hitting percentage (.254), second in kills per set (13.59), and third in aces (1.71).
However, their biggest strength might be on the other side of the net, where they block 2.68 attacks per set. That number is second in the RMAC, but they also allow opponents to hit just .137 and allow just 10.58 kills per set.
Ember Canty is their offensive leader as she is hitting .356 on the year, to sit third in the conference. She is not the only dangerous offensive option, however, as Riley Anderson grabbed 3.78 kills per set and Rylee Hladky averaged 2.95 per set.
Canty along with Mikayla McClinton are third and fourth in blocks, averaging 1.29 and 1.0 per set.
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.
