STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team saw its season come to a close Friday night with a four-set loss to #12 Tarleton State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament inside Wisdom Gym.
 
Abby Tiesman would not let the Orediggers go quietly as she led the team with 16 kills while hitting .464. Lindsey Jin added 14 kills of her own with Taylor Hicken rounding out the double-digit performances, racking up 12 kills. Drew Stokes tossed out assists at a rate of 13 per set, finishing with 52 in the match and made it a double-double with 11 digs. Elle Duis was rock solid once again with 17 digs and Amanda Donais played her part from the service line with four aces.
 
Mines closes the season 24-6 overall, marking the Orediggers' seventh straight 20-win campaign. Friday's match also marks Mines' fourth consecutive trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tarleton State (31-4) advances to the Sweet 16 (regional final) where it will face second-seeded Texas A&M-Commerce.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set started as a nail-biter with both teams trading rallies and scoring points. The game featured 10 ties but no lead changes. Mines went point-for-point with the TexAnns all the way up to 16-16 before the home team pulled away. Lindsey Jin knocked down five kills in the first set but TSU hit .469 as a team to claim a 25-20 win.
 
Tarleton State would not cool off in set two as it hit .423 as a team. Mines matched the TexAnns in kills with 14 each but a match-high seven errors kept the Orediggers from their final push. Hicken sparked a late run to pull Mines within three, but Tarleton State would close out 25-21 for a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
 
However, Mines was not done yet. The Orediggers clawed and scratched back in the third set, battling their way to 10 ties and three lead changes. Mines had its best offensive game of the night, hitting .419 and limiting TSU to just .263 on the attack. It would take extra points, but thanks to kills from Hannah Martin and Tiesman, the Orediggers claimed a 28-26 victory to extend the match.
 
In the fourth set, Mines heated up at the service line as it racked up six service aces while adding a pair of blocks. Despite an early deficit, the Orediggers roared back with a 5-0 run to take an early 5-3 lead. A Megan Neil kill and Donais ace helped maintain the lead. However, Tarleton State ripped off a 6-0 run to take a 16-10 lead. The surge from TSU proved too much for the Orediggers as the TexAnns clinched the win 25-19 and their berth in the NCAA Regional Final.
 
NOTABLES
- The Orediggers are now 1-0 against MSU Denver in the NCAA Tournament.
- Stokes finished the year ranked #4 on Mines' single-season assists list – as a true freshman.
- Tiesman surpassed 400 kills for the season. Her 401 rank #8 on Mines' single-season kills chart.
- Elle Duis' 525 digs in 2018 are the fifth-most in a single season in Oredigger history.
- Lone senior Janice Jin closes her career as the winningest Oredigger in program history with 101 wins to her name.
- Janice Jin racked up 866 kills, 437 digs, 158 blocks and 16 service aces over 115 matches in four years.
- Mines returns 14 of 15 on its roster for the 2019 campaign.
- Head Coach Jamie Magalei is 256-87 after 11 full seasons at Mines.
- Magalei's .746 career winning percentage ranks #19 all-time in NCAA Division II and #21 among active DII coaches.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines awaits the announcement of additional all-region and all-America teams. All postseason awards will be announced at www.MinesAthletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.