RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines Volleyball team begins its season on the road this weekend, as they take part in the Chadron State tournament.  
  
South Dakota Mines is coming off of a year in which they competed in the RMAC playoffs for the first time under head coach Lauren Prochazka's leadership (they had also qualified during the COVID-19 year but were unable to play).
 
That team was led by a group of seven senior players, who saw the court for a significant amount of time during their careers. Jacey Koethe, Tori Zagorski, Lily Bartling, Dejah Behrend, Anna Thomas, Kassie, and Krissie Luce.
 
Among that group, Jacey Koethe was the leading points-getter in the RMAC and became the first-ever First Team All-RMAC selection for the Hardrockers.
 
Ushered in is a new group of 10 transfers and freshman, looking to maintain and improve upon the level of play from 2022.
  
Returners:
Starting off with the returners, the Hardrockers bring back some key members of the team that helped get them to the 2022 playoffs. Kiley Metzger returns as one of the captains from that team and will once again be one of the captains this season. She has been a steady setter for the Hardrockers for years and has earned RMAC accolades in the past and will be relied upon heavily for her leadership and on-court play. Metzger is one of the top setters in the RMAC and is approaching the school record in assists (tracked records).
 
Metzger is joined by Hannah Benes as the other captain. Benes is a sophomore defensive specialist/libero, but made an impact as a freshman, especially from the service line, finishing seventh in the RMAC in total aces and aces per set. She also recorded 219 digs in 101 sets.
 
Paisley Gibson also returns as one of two freshmen in the conference to receive RMAC honors. Gibson started slow, in part due to an early injury, but came on strong, recording six matches in a row with double-digit kills and 8 of 11 to end the season. She also recorded 5 double-doubles.
 
Emma Grimm is the lone upperclassmen outside of Metzger, as she heads into her junior season. Grimm had a strong freshman season and is looking to regain that form after not being able to play full seasons in either of the past two years.
 
Ava Sparks is the lone remaining outside with experience returning to the team. Sparks didn't see a ton of court time in 2022, playing in 22 sets, however the athletic ability, leap and potential are there for her to breakout in 2023.
 
Morgan Daugherty comes back as an opposite after playing in 62 sets in 2022. The 6'0" sophomore played well early in the season, recording double digit kills in five matches early in the season. Overall, she recorded 110 kills and looks to be a more consistent factor this season.
 
Kiera Walsh, Heather Jiricek, and AJ Harrell return in the middle. None of the three have a ton of court time, with Walsh playing in 23 sets, Jiricek playing in 1, and Harrell sitting out the 2022 season due to injury after playing in six matches in 2021.
 
Newcomers:
It is a big group on newcomers for the Hardrockers as they brought in eight freshman and two junior college transfers in their recruiting class.
 
Jenna Curtis and Alessandra Meoni come in as teammates from Western Nebraska Community College and both were very successful in their time there.
 
Curtis, originally from Ogallala, Nebraska recorded 758 kills and 505 digs and was named a 2022 NJCAA Region IX Tournament Team selection.
 
Meoni is even more accomplished, earning Region IX All-Tournament team, NJCAA Region IX MVP, NJCAA National All-Tournament Team in her sophomore season after earning NJCAA First Team All-Region IX. She was also named NJCAA First Team All-Region after her freshman season. Meoni also has it in her blood with her father as a starting setter for the Italian National Team.
 
The remaining incomers are all freshman and are listed below.
 
Rachel Mau – DS/L, Erie, Colorado
Ivy Vindivich – OH, Puyallup, Washington
Josey Wickersham – OH/OPP, Brandon, S.D.
Joy Aburto – OH, Aurora, Colorado
Louisa Battin – S, Kildeer, Illinois
Ellison Spencer – S, Olympia, Washington
Annelise Larson – MB, Northfield, Minnesota
Madison Smith – MB, Boonville, Missouri
 
Chadron State Tournament
 
The South Dakota Mines volleyball team will head to Chadron on Friday for a tournament where they will play four games over two days. They play two contests against MSU Moorhead on Friday at 9 a.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. The second match on Friday is against York University at 3:00 p.m. with the first match Saturday against RMAC foe Chadron State at noon.

An interview with head coach Lauren Prochazka and setter Kiley Metzger is below. Tickets for the 2023 volleyball season are also for sale and can be purchased at the link above.


 
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 11 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.