SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines volleyball team finished the Augustana Classic on Saturday with a matchup against Northwest Missouri State.
Despite battling and four tough and close sets, only one went the way of the Hardrockers and they fell 3-1 to Northwest Missouri State and move to 1-3 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
There was a back and forth battle in the first set, with each team trading leads, but the Hardrockers started hot, with six straight points, taking an 8-2 lead. Northwest Missouri State fought back, taking the lead at 14-13 after four unanswered points. Late in the set, with NMSU holding a 23-19 advantage, the Hardrockers would fight their way back in, going on another run and even getting to set point with a 24-23 advantage, but couldn't close it out as the Bearcats would go on to win the set, 26-24.
In the second set, South Dakota Mines would start from behind but push it back to a tie at 11 in part due to a trio of kills by
Alessandra Meoni and
Jenna Curtis. Later in the set, again with South Dakota Mines trailing, a kill by
Ivy Vindivich brought it back to within one point and later, a Meoni kill tied at 21 and sparked the Hardrocker set win with
Annelise Larson picking up the final kill.
The third set started as a battle with two team tied up at seven and South Dakota Mines taking a 10-8 lead, but a five-point run for Northwest Missouri State gave them an 18-14 advantage and they were able to hold onto that, winning the third, 25-19.
After starting out tied early, a six-point run gave the Bearcats a 12-6 advantage in the fourth set, before they pushed it to 17-9. The Hardrockers would continue to fight, cutting the deficit to three, before Northwest Missouri State closed the set and match, winning it 25-19 and 3-1.
NOTES
Jenna Curtis led the team in kills, getting 14 while hitting .227 but also grabbed a double-double, picking up 12 digs…
Annelise Larson and
Kiera Walsh were strong in the middle, picking up seven and six blocks, hitting .357 and .400…
Ellison Spencer recorded a team high 21 assists, while adding nine digs…
Hannah Benes and
Emma Grimm both were in double-digits with 24 and 11 digs.
NEXT UP
South Dakota Mines will be closer to home for their tournament next weekend as they play four matches at Black Hills State from Friday, September 13-Saturday, September 14.
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.
