RAPID CITY, S.D. – Coming off a loss to Western Colorado, the Hardrockers volleyball team takes on Chadron State and CSU Pueblo in non-conference matchups at home in the King Center.
The matchups are schedule for Thursday at 6 and Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Chadron State
Date/Time: Oct. 31 / 6:00 PM MT
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: Chadron State leads 26-21.
Streak: Chadron State Won 1
Last Meeting: Chadron State won in Chadron, 3-2 (10/1/24).
Watch Live: RMAC Network
CSU Pueblo
Date/Time: Nov. 2 / 3:00 PM MT
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: CSU Pueblo leads 9-3.
Streak: CSU Pueblo Won 1
Last Meeting: CSU Pueblo won in Rapid City, 3-1 (9/28/24).
Watch Live: RMAC Network
AUTOMATIC ASSISTS
South Dakota Mines is fourth in the RMAC and 37
th nationally with 12.47 assists per set.
Kiley Metzger is a key piece of this, averaging 9.65 per set to sit in fifth in the RMAC.
KEEPING PLAY ALIVE
The Hardrockers average 17.40 digs per set which leads the RMAC and is 32nd at the NCAA Division II level.
BENES BALLS
As she has been throughout her career thus far,
Hannah Benes is dangerous behind the service line. Currently she averages .56 aces per set which leads the RMAC and is 25th nationally at the Division II level.
In addition, Benes recently hit the 1,000 dig mark for her career and averages 4.65 digs per set which is third in the conference.
AUTOMATIC POINTS
Alessandra Meoni has been phenomenal throughout her career and seems it's nearly automatic when she goes up for a kill as she ninth in the conference in hitting percentage (.316), second in the conference in kills per set (4.01) and second in the conference in points per set (4.52). Her kills per set are 24th at the NCAA Division II level, while her points per set are 30th.
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
It has been a struggle thus far this season for Chadron State as they are last in the RMAC with an 0-10 conference mark and sitting at 4-16 overall.
The Golden Eagles have struggled offensively as they are hitting just .159 but also allow opponents to hit a league high .242 on them.
Despite their struggles, they have dangerous players as Kendyl Kirkwood averages 5.37 assists and Aiyana Fujiyama is sixth in the RMAC with .96 blocks per set.
Alondra Hernandez leads the RMAC with 4.8 digs per set.
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
The Thunderwolves have had a decent start to the season as they are 12-8 overall and 6-4 in league play.
They are coming off back-to-back losses at Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver.
CSU Pueblo is stronger offensively than they are defensively as they are top five in the RMAC in hitting percentage but in the bottom half of the league in digs per set and opponent hitting percentage.
Sadie Scoville is one of the better hitters in the league as she averages 3.43 kills per set but also is strong behind the service line, averaging .45 kills per set.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the brief departure from RMAC play, the Hardrockers head on the road on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9 as they take on CCU and Chadron State.
You can find the latest on South Dakota Mines volleyball all year long on X and Instagram (@hardrockervb), while also following on Facebook at Hardrocker Volleyball. The latest on South Dakota Mines athletics can be found by following us on X at @GoHardrockers, hardrockerathletics on Instagram and Hardrocker Athletics on Facebook.
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.
