RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Hardrocker volleyball team hosted CSU Pueblo on Saturday evening.
Earlier in the season, CSU Pueblo defeated the Hardrockers, but this one was a different story. The Rockers dominated the match throughout the three sets, picking up a 3-0 sweep for their second straight win and second straight sweep in the RMAC Power Pod as they head back into conference play for the final four matches of the regular season.
With the win, the Hardrockers moved to 14-8 overall and remain at 7-3 in RMAC play. CSU Pueblo moved to 13-9 overall and is sitting behind the Hardrockers in the RMAC standings at 6-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED
South Dakota Mines was able to pull away midway through the first set after scoring eight of nine points to take a 17-9 lead.
Jenna Curtis and her duo
Alessandra Meoni were crucial during this period as Curtis got two kills, while Meoni got four kills and two aces.
CSU Pueblo tried to fight back a bit, but South Dakota Mines scored the last three points to win the first 25-18.
The second was close for a bit longer, but another midway through the set gave the Hardrockers the space they needed, scoring five in a row to take a 16-11 lead. Another run of four points at the end of the set gave SDM the 25-18 victory in the second.
The Hardrockers took an early lead in the third, 12-8 before they put their foot down on the throttle and took a 22-13 lead. They got the last three points to win it 25-15.
NOTES
As a team, the Hardrockers continue to hit well as they hit .239 to just .109 for CSU Pueblo…
Alessandra Meoni led the team with 11 kills, hitting .258 and recording a double-double with ten digs, adding two aces…
Annelise Larson led the team, hitting .471 with eight kills…
Hannah Benes and Emma Gimm were in double digits with 17 and 10 digs, while Benes added four aces…
Kiley Metzger recorded another double-double with 31 assists and ten digs.
UP NEXT
Now that the Power Pod has wrapped up, the Hardrockers have four conference games left to play in the regular season to try and improve their standing and chances for a potential NCAA Tournament berth. That begins next weekend with road matchups on Friday, November 8 against Colorado Christian at 5:00 p.m. and another matchup on the road with Chadron State on November 9, scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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.
