RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines volleyball team finished off the weekend RMAC sweep defeating the Chadron State Eagles in four sets (25-13; 22-25; 25-16; 25-21).
The win elevates the Hardrockers to 9-3 in conference and 16-8 overall on the season, clinching a spot in the RMAC playoffs. It also pushed them into the fourth seed in the RMAC as a result of CSU Pueblo also losing and the Hardrockers now control their destiny for a first-round RMAC playoff matchup at home at the King Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hardrockers started strong early and left no doubt in the first set winning 25-13. The offense was on point as
Ivy Vindivich had five kills and
Alessandra Meoni had four. Setter,
Kiley Metzger got into the action with three kills in the win.
The Hardrockers would drop the second set 25-22 to the Eagles. The Eagles would go up 5-1 early and hold a couple-point lead throughout. The Hardrockers got to within one point at 23-22 but CSC would score the next two to win the set. Vindivich and Meoni each had five kills in the set for the Hardrockers.
The Hardrockers would put the pedal to the medal in the third set, winning it convincingly, 25-16. The Hardrockers never trailed after the score was tied 5-5, utilizing several scoring runs of three and four throughout the set to put the Eagles away. Vindivich had the hot hand with seven kills for the Hardrockers.
Paisley Gibson would end the set with three kills.
In the fourth set, the Eagles would hold a slight lead with the teams going back and forth until the Hardrockers turned up the intensity, scoring four straight points to take an 18-14 lead. The Eagles tried to make a set out of it, but the Hardrockers were too strong down the stretch and won the set 25-21 and the match, 3-1.
NOTES
Ivy Vindivich,
Alessandra Meoni, and
Paisley Gibson all had huge nights for the Hardrockers with Vindivich leading the way with 19 kills, while Meoni ended with 18. Gibson also had 14 kills in the win…Each of them hit over .400 with Vindivich at .536, Meoni at .500 and Gibson at .400…Metzger would have another stellar match setting up the offense with 50 assists and zero errors. On the defensive side of the net,
Hannah Benes was all over the court with 24 digs.
UP NEXT
The Hardrockers will close out the regular season on the road next weekend. They will take on Westminster on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Salt Lake City, UT, before battling Colorado Mesa on Saturday at 2:00 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 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.
