GOLDEN, Colo. – The first-ever meeting between the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team and Dixie State did not disappoint Friday night as the #23-ranked Orediggers defended their home court with a five-set victory over Dixie State inside Lockridge Arena.
 
In a match full of ups and downs, Abby Tiesman and Lindsey Jin fueled Mines' offense with 19 kills each on 82 combined attempts. Drew Stokes coordinated the charge with 63 assists while Amanda Donais worked both sides of the ball with a 14-kill, 16-dig double-double. Janice Jin also recorded double-digit kills with 11 for the Orediggers.
 
Defensively, Elle Duis led all players with 22 digs. Tiesman added six blocks, including three solo stuffs, while Hicken added five. As a team, Mines finished the match with 12 total blocks.
 
With the win, Mines strengthens its grip on first place in the RMAC standings, improving to 14-2 overall and 8-0 in RMAC play while extending its winning streak to eight matches. Dixie State falls to 11-3 and 6-1.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dixie State rolled into Golden, seeking a RMAC win to vault past Mines into first place in the conference standings. However, the Orediggers were not about to surrender their home court and proved it with a convincing, 25-17 win in the opening set. Lindsey Jin fueled the surge with six kills while Mines racked up five total blocks.
 
The Trailblazers fired back in the second set which featured 62 total points and seven more kills from Lindsey Jin. Despite Jin's performance, it would not be enough as DSU evened the match with a 32-30 win.
 
Game three may have been the set of the night for Mines. Coming out of intermission, the Orediggers looked to retake the momentum and the advantage in the match. However, the Blazers jumped ahead early and pushed their lead all the way to 17-10. Trailing 24-19, Mines staged an incredibly rally, taking advantage of DSU miscues and three kills from Tiesman to win the set, 27-25.
 
The visitors made things interesting by winning the fourth set to make it 2-2 in the match and force a decisive fifth game. Yet, Mines would prevail on its home court. Four kills on eight attempts from Tiesman sparked the Orediggers to a 15-11 win and the victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 1-0 in the all-time series against Dixie State.
- Dixie State came into Golden as the #1-blocking team in the nation.
- Mines finished the match hitting .227 with 73 kills and only 31 errors over five sets.
- The Orediggers are the only team in the RMAC with an unblemished record in conference play.
- Mines has not lost since Sept. 1 in Indianapolis.
- Stokes 63 assists are a career high for the freshman and tied for eight-most in Mines' history.
- Friday's match featured 36 ties and 15 lead changes.
- Tiesman's 19 kills put her over 200 on the season.
- Lindsey Jin surpassed 500-career kills with her performance Friday.
- Donais' double-double against Dixie State is her fourth of the season.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 246-83 in 11 seasons at Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts Westminster Saturday night at 5 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. 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.