RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The Hardrocker volleyball team is coming off a home weekend sweep in RMAC play and now makes a short trip to Chadron State for a pair of matchups in Chadron against the Eagles on Thursday and against Black Hills State on Friday.
GAME INFORMATION
Chadron State
Date/Time: Sept. 28 / 6:00 p.m. MT
Site: Chadron, Neb.
Arena: Chicoine Center
Series Overall: Chadron State leads 24-20 (since 1995).
Streak: South Dakota Mines Won 2
Series at Chadron State: Tied 11-11 (since 1995).
Streak at Chadron State: South Dakota Mines Won 3
Last Meeting: South Dakota Mines won in Chadron, 3-1 (9/2/2023).
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines
Black Hills State
Date/Time: Sept. 29 / 6:00 p.m. MT
Site: Chadron, Neb.
Arena: Chicoine Center
Series Overall: Black Hills State leads 49-22 (since 1995).
Streak: Black Hills State Won 1
Last Meeting: South Dakota Mines won in Rapid City, 3-0 (10/28/2022).
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines
HIGH PERCENTAGE HITTER
Alessandra Meoni continues to do damage to opposing teams. Even though she isn't racking up kills at the rate of other teams in the RMAC, her success rate is there. For the season, she's hitting .335, seventh best in the RMAC.
BALLS DON'T LAND
The Hardrockers have several defensive weapons, the first being
Hannah Benes, their primary Libero. Benes has done a fantastic job of not letting balls hit the floor as she has 207 digs this season, and averages 5.05 per set. Both of those numbers are second in the RMAC.
Josey Wickersham has been great as well defensively out of the right back spot, while
Rachel Mau was also a key to the Hardrockers getting the 5-set win over CSU Pueblo as this trio did not let anything hit the ground.
RISING ABOVE THE NET
Annelise Larson and
Kiera Walsh have done a good job as the primary middles. Walsh has recorded 36 blocks, while Larson has 32 blocks.
DEFENSE FIRST
As a team, the Hardrockers have been strong from the defensive side of the net, as they have the most digs in the RMAC and lead by around 2 digs per set. In addition, they are third in opponent hitting percentage, allowing opponents to hit .171 percent, and are fifth in blocks.
FAMILIAR FOES, DIFFERENT SCENARIOS
The Hardrockers meet up with traditional rivals in a non-traditional way this week as they battle Chadron State and Black Hills State in Chadron in non-conference matchups.
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
Chadron State opened up RMAC play with a result over Colorado School of Mines that opened some eyes, defeating the Orediggers in Golden. Following that, they lost the next two, but have bounced back with wins over Western Colorado and Fort Lewis.
The makeup of the Eagles is very different from the Hardrockers, where Chadron State is a veteran led team with Lexi Hurtado, Mayson Fago, Rylee Greiman, and Aiyana Fujiyama all returning as upperclassmen among others.
The newcomer to that group that's making a big difference is Kendyl Kirkwood, their freshman setter, and she has acclimated quickly and made a connection with Fujiyama as they are one of the top setter-hitter combos in the RMAC with Kirkwood sitting in sixth in assists and Fujiyama hitting over .300 on the year.
Bella Adams is blossoming into one of the top middles, as she returns as a sophomore, averaging over a block/set.
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State is still a young team in the midst of a rebuild. Two of their top three hitters are underclassmen, and they have just a pair of seniors on their roster, but those seniors are difference makers in Hannah Lamon and Haedyn Rhoades.
Lamon has been one of the top setters in the RMAC this season, currently slotting just ahead of the Hardrockers'
Kiley Metzger with 9.11 assists per set. Lamon is dangerous from the service line as well, just outside the top-10 in the conference in service aces.
Haedyn Rhoades has been one of the better liberos in the conference for a couple of years now and that hasn't changed thus far in 2023 as she leads the RMAC with 5.21 digs per set.
One of the hitters for the Yellow Jackets, who has played a big role is junior, Abigail Renner who is fourth in the RMAC in kills.
Black Hills State started the season off 4-2 but has now lost six-in-a-row, heading into the weekend.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the pair of non-conference matchups this week, the Hardrockers dive back into RMAC play with a home match against Western Colorado on Tuesday, Oct. 3 before heading to Fort Lewis on Saturday, Oct. 7.
