Mines (21-4, 15-2) vs. UCCS (12-13, 10-7) – Friday, 7 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
WHAT'S ON THE LINE
This Friday, the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team plays just one match as it hosts UCCS Friday in the 2018 regular-season finale. Both teams have locked up berths in the RMAC Tournament. However, a win for the Orediggers would mean a share of the conference crown and the #1 seed. A win for UCCS gives the Mountain Lions a shot at moving from seventh to sixth in the seeding. Either way, it's an important match for both teams with postseason implications on the line.
THE WEEKEND THAT WAS
Last weekend, Mines went 1-1 at home with a 3-0 victory over Western Colorado and a five-set heartbreaker against Colorado Mesa. The Orediggers also celebrated parents night, greek night, senior night and alumni night over the two matches.
Abby Tiesman led Mines' offense in both matches with 13 kills against the Mountaineers and 19 kills against the Mavericks.
Drew Stokes combined for 98 assists in eight sets and
Elle Duis racked up 31 digs. Saturday's loss to Colorado Mesa allowed the Mavericks back into the hunt for a share of the RMAC crown. However, Mines still holds its destiny in its own hands.
SCOUTING UCCS
UCCS will arrive in Golden in possession of the #7 seed in the RMAC Tournament. Despite being under .500 overall, the Mountain Lions have gone 10-7 in conference play including its most recent 3-0 win over Western Colorado. Alyssa Brinton leads the UCCS attack with 255 kills at 3.07 kills per set while hitting .235. Raelynn Edge is one of the top setters in the league with 1,005 assists at 10.69 helpers per set. Lauren Brown boasts 79 total blocks on the year while Jordyn Kinsey has ground out 396 digs.
A TEAM OF MANY NAMES
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs uses Mountain Lions as the nickname for its athletics teams. Mountain Lions, or cougars, hold the Guiness record for the animal with the highest number names, with over 40 names in English alone. The mountain lion is the biggest cat in North America and second-heaviest cat in the western hemisphere after the jaguar. Mountain lion's tails are nearly three feet long, equaling a third of its total length. Male mountain lions may use a home range of 50-150 square miles. Mountain lions also appreciate leftovers. After they're done feeding on prey, mountain lions cover the carcass with leaves and sticks to save it for later. From a sitting position, mountain lions can reach a vertical leap near 18 feet and up to 40 feet horizontally. And now you know.
LOCKRIDGE ARENA
Fondly referred to as "The Lock", Mines' home court for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball features seating for 3,000 at Oredigger home athletics events. The venue has also twice hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Central Regional Tournament. Additionally, Lockridge Arena hosts numerous major campus events and has been graced by the presence of Barack Obama, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and many others.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
In honor of the last game of the 2018 regular season, the first 75 students in attendance (after 6:30pm) will receive free Jimmy John's min sandwiches and cookies. Friday's match will also have the ever-loved Denver Athletic Fan Frenzy T-Shirt Toss. Finally, Friday marks another chance to help with the Mines Food Fight Challenge and Coin War. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable items to donate and/or coins to help Mines volleyball win the coin war. All food and funds go to benefit the Golden Christian Action Guild.
SERIES HISTORY
The Orediggers and Mountain Lions faced off earlier this season on Sept. 11 at Colorado Springs. Mines won the match in three sets as
Janice Jin led all players with 10 kills. Taylor Smith led UCCS with seven kills while hitting .115. Mines racked up seven total blocks in the win. Overall, the Orediggers have won 10 straight matches against UCCS dating back to 2012. Mines' win streak against the Mountain Lions includes three sweeps, six four-setters and one five-set thriller. The last time the Orediggers fell to UCCS was Sept. 15, 2012.
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
Despite its loss to Colorado Mesa, Mines maintained its spot at #3 in the second edition of the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce also held on to their spots at #1 and #2, respectively. The Orediggers continue to receive votes in the AVCA National Poll, but it's the NCAA Regional Rankings that determine which teams will advance to the NCAA postseason. The top eight teams in the final regional poll will advance to the NCAA South Central Regional tournament, hosted by the #1 seed. If the season ended today, Tarleton State would be hosting the first and second rounds with Mines facing off against sixth-seeded Angelo State of the Lone Star Conference.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Three Orediggers have combined to produce 11 double-doubles this season. Leading the way is true freshman
Amanda Donais with six double-doubles through 25 matches. Donais' last double-double came Oct. 13 against Regis inside Lockridge Arena with 11 kills and 13 digs. Next on the list is another true freshman in
Drew Stokes. The setter has four double-doubles this season and last accomplished the feat Oct. 19 at MSU Denver, fueled by 43 assists and 14 digs. Junior middle blocker
Abby Tiesman also has a double-double this season thanks to her 13-kill, 12-dig performance against Cal St. East Bay in the 2018 Oredigger Volleyball Classic.
LEADING THE RMAC
Mines leads the conference in more than just the standings. As a team, the Orediggers are #1 in the league in hitting percentage, assists per set and kills per set. Individually,
Drew Stokes is #1 in assists per set and #2 in total assists.
Abby Tiesman is third in the league in kills per set but leads the conference in solo blocks.
Amanda Donais leads the conference in service-aces per set and total aces.
RMAC TOURNAMENT PROJECTIONS
Seven of the eight teams are set for the RMAC Tournament field. However, seeding is still up the air for many of those teams. Mines is joined by Dixie State, Colorado Mesa, MSU Denver, Regis, Colorado Christian and UCCS with clinched berths in the conference tournament. Fort Lewis and Adams State are still vying for the eighth and final seed. Mines, Dixie, Mesa and MSUD all have a shot at a share of the RMAC title with seeds 1-4 still up in the air. Regis is all but locked into the #5 seed. Colorado Christian holds the head-to-head advantage over UCCS for the sixth seed and UCCS holds the head-to-head over both Fort Lewis and Adams State for the eighth seed.
DEPARTMENT-WIDE SUCCESS
As a department, Colorado School of Mines Athletics has found nearly unprecedented of success this fall. Mines' fall teams are a combined 63-6-2 in head-to-head play. Those same programs are 492-1 in RMAC action. The Orediggers' opposition has featured seven nationally-ranked opponents. To cap it off, five of Mines' fall teams are nationally-ranked in the top-10. None of this includes Mines' cross country teams that have won two of its three races this season, including the Rock Pre-Nationals in Pittsburgh. The Oredigger men are #2 in the country and the women rank #5.
LOOKING AHEAD
No matter what the result of Friday's regular-season finale, Mines will open the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday at home. Final seedings will determine the Orediggers opponent with the time to be determined. Live stats and video of the match will be available at www.MinesAthletics.com.
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.
