RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines volleyball team finished its opening weekend of home and RMAC play, the same way they began it.
With a sweep.
On Saturday, the Hardrockers took on UCCS in an evening matchup and there was no hangover from Friday night's dominant victory over Regis as South Dakota Mines dominated for the second night in a row, picking up back-to-back sweeps and starting RMAC play 2-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set was a battle after the Hardrockers got an early 8-4 lead. UCCS would run five straight points off, tying it at 10 and the remainder of the set would be back and forth with UCCS taking a late, 20-18 lead only to see a kill by
Alessandra Meoni and a double block from Meoni and
Kiera Walsh help to tie it up at 22.
Trailing, 24-22
Hannah Benes took it into her own hands after kills from
Ivy Vindivich and Meoni would tie it, and back-to-back Benes aces would win it.
South Dakota Mines seemed energized and determined after the first, getting four straight points early in the second set on a pair of
Annelise Larson kills, a
Jenna Curtis kill and a block by Metzger and Larson would put SDM up 10-4. UCCS would cut it to four a couple of times, but two straight Vindivich kills followed by a Larson kill, spread the 'Rockers' lead to 21-14, and they would win it comfortably, 25-20.
In the third set, the Hardrockers started quickly again, getting a five-point run early to take a 7-5 lead, later expanding it to 13-9 and 17-12. A
Josey Wickersham ace put SDM up 21-14 and they would close the set with a 25-18 set win and a 3-0 match win.
NOTES
Ivy Vindivich had a phenomenal .500 hitting percentage along with a team-leading 14 kills. Joining her in double-digits were
Alessandra Meoni (13) and
Jenna Curtis (10)…Meoni also hit well with a percentage of .379…
Hannah Benes,
Rachel Mau and
Kiley Metzger all were in double figures in digs with 16, 11 and 10…Metzger recorded another double-double with 41 assists.
UP NEXT
Next weekend, the Hardrockers are on the road in Colorado, taking on Adams State and CSU Pueblo on Friday and Saturday.
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.
