SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines volleyball team started its season and tournament at the Augustana Classic, taking on host school, Augustana.
The Hardrockers battled through all three sets but were not able to come up with a victory, falling 3-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set was a battle and
Alessandra Meoni gave the Hardrockers their first lead 5-4 after back-to-back kills, but the two teams continued to battle. Augustana was able to start pulling away after a three-point run gave them a 13-10 lead which expanded 18-12, before South Dakota Mines started to push back in it, getting kills from Meoni,
Annelise Larson,
Joy Aburto and
Jenna Curtis to cut the deficit to 22-19 and then 22-21, but ultimately, Augustana pulled away with the set, 25-22.
South Dakota Mines got off to a better start in set 2, taking an early 4-0 lead and maintained a three-four point lead until Augustana scored three straight, cutting their deficit to 16-15. Throughout the remainder of the set it was a battle, with the two teams trading leads and retying it, with ties coming at 20, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26. The Hardrockers were tough and battled, but it wasn't enough as Augustana emerged with a 28-26 win and went up 2-0 in the match.
In the third set, Augustana started strong and didn't let off the gas, taking leads of 10-4, 16-10 and 20-13 before finishing off the set with a 25-16 win and a 3-0 sweep in both teams' season openers.
NOTES
Alessandra Meoni continues to be a force, picking up 13 kills with a hitting percentage of .385…
Kiley Metzger recorded 34 assists out of her setter position, coming close to a double-double as she finished with nine digs…
Hannah Benes and
Emma Grimm tied for the team lead with 12 digs.
NEXT UP
The Hardrockers have a chance to bounce back quickly with two games slated for Friday, first taking on Northern State at 8:00 a.m. and then taking on Alaska Anchorage at 2:45.
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.
