GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team bowed out of the 2018 RMAC Tournament Friday night following a five-set, heartbreaking loss to MSU Denver inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Lone senior Janice Jin flexed her veteran leadership with a team-high 16 kills. Her sister Lindsey Jin added 13 kills of her own with four digs and one service ace. The all-around star of the night was arguably Hannah Martin who posted 12 kills, three service aces and nine digs with two total blocks. Drew Stokes notched her sixth double-double of the season with 46 assists and 11 kills with four total blocks to boot. Elle Duis led all Orediggers with 18 digs.
 
Friday's loss marks the second straight year MSU Denver (21-8) has ended Mines' (23-5) RMAC Tournament run. The Roadrunners advance to Saturday's tournament final against Colorado Mesa while the Orediggers await the NCAA Selection show slated for Sunday at 8 p.m.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines came out of the gates firing on all cylinders as the Orediggers jumped out to a two-set lead in the match. Janice Jin led all players in a 25-17, first-set win with five kills on eight attempts with no errors. Hannah Martin was the start in set two with four kills in Mines' 26-24 victory.
 
However, the turning point of the match came right after the intermission. Game three was a knock-down, drag-out battle. Lindsey Jin's five kills had the Orediggers in line for the sweep, but five total blocks from MSU Denver kept the Roadrunners in the match. When the dust settled, MSU Denver emerged with a 33-31, marathon victory to put itself back in the match.
 
The Roadrunners carried that momentum into the fourth set, posting a .438 hitting percentage as the forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-15 win. Mines attempted to recover from its grueling loss in game three for a final rally, using an assisted block from Abby Tiesman and Janice Jin with three kills from Martin. Elle Duis even sparked a 5-0 run from the service line, but too little too late as MSU Denver clinched its berth in the finals with a 15-12, fifth-set win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 1-1 in the 2018 series with MSU Denver after beating the Roadrunners in the regular season.
- The Orediggers posted 10 blocks as a team for the third time in its last four matches.
- Mines is now 3-6 in RMAC Tournament semifinals with Jamie Magalei as head coach.
- Stokes' 46 assists give her 1,242 on the season which ranks sixth on Mines' single-season assists list.
- Janice Jin's 16-kill performance is her best of the season.
- Abby Tiesman's five total blocks against MSU Denver put her over 100 on the season.
- Coach Magalei is 255-86 in 11 seasons at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines awaits the NCAA Tournament Selection Show set to air Sunday at 8 p.m. The Orediggers started the RMAC Tournament as the #3 seed in the South Central Region with the top eight advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament. More information will be available following the selection show at www.MinesAthletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.