How It Happened
Behind powerful efforts from Alanna Winfield and Ellie Monarch, the 25th-ranked Colorado School of Mines swept both St. Cloud State (25-21, 26-24, 25-21) and Dallas Baptist (25-18, 25-23, 25-20) on the opening day of the 2016 Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott Oredigger Volleyball Classic.

Winfield combined for 34 kills and hit .492 and Monarch drilled 21 while swinging at a .474 clip to lead a Mines offense that hit a collective .303 to defeat both the Huskies and Patriots in straight sets.

The Orediggers got off to a great start against St. Cloud State they hit .303 in the opening set to easily take the fame. The second set was much more of a struggle as they hit only at .100 clip, and had to force tiebreakers to pull out the frame, 26-24. The third and final set was also nip-and-tuck before the Orediggers stretched a 22-20 lead into a 25-21 victory. A pair of kills by Madeline Behr sparked the final jaunt. 

Mines completely dominated DBU from the jump as both teams were swinging hot and often. The Orediggers were able to jump out quickly and set one and cruised to an easy 25-18 victory. Set two saw Mines fight nip-and-tuck before breaking a 23-23 deadlock on kills from Behr and Winfield to seal the frame. That was all they needed as they cruised in the final set, 25-20, to close out the second consecutive sweep of the night.

Notables
-    Alanna Winfield was simply sensational this afternoon. In particular, her game against DBU was spectacular as she crushed 19 kills while swinging at a .500 clip. She made only one error in the match.
-    In her debut, freshman setter Delaney Duis combined for 76 assists (38 a/g) with 10 digs and one block.
-    Ellie Monarch hit exactly .474 each game today.

Up Next
Mines finished up the Oredigger Classic tomorrow when they host Edinboro and Cal State LA.