SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines volleyball team played a pair of matches on day two of the Augustana Volleyball Classic held at the Sanford Pentagon with a pair of traditional powerhouses among the Division II volleyball ranks, first falling to Northern State, before bouncing back to defeat Alaska Anchorage in five sets.
vs. Northern State
South Dakota Mines started slow in the early morning matchup, trailing 4-0 and never really got going in the first set, trailing 13-7 and 19-9, before eventually falling 25-11.
The Northern State momentum continued in the second set. They started off on a 6-0 run, then went up 10-2 and eventually won it 25-9.
In the third set, the Hardrockers had a much better start, taking an early 3-2 lead after a kill by
Alessandra Meoni and went back and forth, taking another lead at 8-7 off a
Joy Aburto kill, but Northern State would regain the momentum, taking leads of 12-9 and 15-10, before eventually sealing it, 25-15.
vs. Alaska Anchorage
Early on in the third match of the season, against traditional power, Alaska Anchorage, the Hardrockers started with a sense of urgency, taking a 9-6 lead after a 3-0 run and would continue to push the lead, getting kills from
Ivy Vindivich and
Kiley Metzger to push the advantage to 13-8. The Seawolves would fight back, tying it at 20, before eventually winning the set, 25-22.
The Hardrockers started strong again in the second set, getting kills from Vindivich, Meoni,
Kiera Walsh and
Jenna Curtis to take a 7-4 lead. After the set was tied up at eight, South Dakota Mines took a 13-10 lead with
Ellison Spencer delivering some great sets, but it would be a fight as Anchorage tied it up at 20, before SDM ran off four straight points, ending the set with a victory at 25-21 to tie the match.
The momentum continued for the Hardrockers in the third set as the 'Rockers got out to a 6-2 lead and would expand it again from 16-14 to 20-15. After an error, Meoni would get the Hardrockers over the hum, getting three of the last four points, giving them a 25-18 set win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set, it was Alaska Anchorage that started with the momentum, starting with a 6-1 lead, before South Dakota Mines answered with five-in-a-row to tie it. The two teams would battle back and forth with ties coming at eight, nine, 12 and 13, before the Seawolves came out with the advantage, winning the set 25-19 and pushing the match to five sets.
Midway through the fifth, kill from
Kiera Walsh would tie the game at eight, but with the game locked at 10,
Jenna Curtis came in clutch earning three straight kills as part of a 5-0 run to seal the set, 15-10 and the match, 3-2.
Up Next – The Hardrockers finish up the Augustana Volleyball Classic with one more match on Saturday morning, taking on Northwest Missouri State at 10:15 a.m., looking to come home with a split of the four matches.
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.
