DENVER – The second-seeded Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team made quick work of seventh-seeded Tarleton State on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the Orediggers swept the Texans inside Regis Fieldhouse.
 
Mines used a well-balanced attack in the victory with three Orediggers notching double-digit kills. Julia Eiken led the way thanks to 11 kills and only one error for a .588 hitting percentage. Lindsey Jin matched her teammate in kills and hit .320 on the attack from the outside. Rose Stuewe rounded out the trio by knocking down 10 kills on 20 attempts. Additionally, Tiesman turned in eight kills on 18 attempts and had no errors. On defense, Elle Duis trumped all players on 13 digs in the back row. Eiken led on the block as well, pacing all players with five over three sets. Stuewe added four blocks and Tiesman tallied three. Drew Stokes coordinated at setter by dishing out 15.67 assists per set for a total of 47.
 
Tarleton State (22-12) entered the match ranked #12 in the nation in total blocks and #36 in blocks per set. However, Mines (24-6) still hit .358 as a team and extended its winning streak to nine consecutive matches. The Orediggers also held the Texans to .178 on the attack thanks to nine total blocks. Overall, the higher seed recorded more points, kills, blocks, assists and digs in a dominant effort. Tarleton State did own the service game by a margin of 3-0 in aces, but still saw its season come to a close in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Overcast skies and rain turning to sleet set the scene for Thursday's match. However, a raucous crowd for both sides and exciting rallies kept fans plenty warm inside Regis Fieldhouse as the Orediggers and Texans went point-for-point through the first two sets.
 
Seven ties and two lead changes highlighted the opening frame. With the scored tied 14-14, Mines went on an 8-2 run and didn't look back. Eiken fueled the surge by providing three kills and one block. Tarleton State attempted to rally, but couldn't get closer than two points down the home stretch. A Stuewe kill clinched the 25-22 win and a 1-0 lead. Top performers in game one were Lindsey Jin with five kills, Tiesman and Eiken with four kills and Stokes pumping out 17 assists.
 
Action heated up significantly in set two. While Mines struck first on an Eiken and Stuewe block, no team led by more than two points from start to finish. Tarleton State appeared poised to even the match when it made the score 24-23. But the Orediggers did not surrender. Stuewe knocked down a kill to make it 24-24. Then, Eiken punched another kill down to give Mines a 25-24 advantage. On set point, Eiken and Stuewe teamed up again on a double block to clinch the 26-24 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Fifty points of action in that second frame resulted in 20 ties and six lead changes. Eiken dominated the game behind five kills on five attempts and three blocks. Mines knocked down six blocks as a team.
 
The final set was all Orediggers, who never tied and never trailed. Mines parlayed an early 4-0 lead into a 7-2 advantage. That led to an 18-11 margin in favor of the Orediggers, proving too much for the Texans to overcome. Another double block from Eiken and Amanda Donais made it 23-14. Then, back-to-back kills from Donais and Jin completed the sweep.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines boasts a record of 3-1 in the all-time series against Tarleton State.
- Since 2015, the Orediggers are 5-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Mines is 8-11 in 19 NCAA Tournament matches with Jamie Magalei as head coach.
- Tarleton State was only swept twice in 2019 including Thursday afternoon's loss to Mines.
- Thurday's victory provides the Orediggers redemption against Tarleton State after TSU ended Mines' 2018 season in four sets in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Eiken's 11 kills mark a career high for the sophomore middle blocker.
- Stuewe's three blocks against TSU match the freshman's career high.
- Jin surpassed 900 kills for her career on Thursday afternoon.
- Stokes moved up to #4 on Mines' all-time assists list with 2,658 in two seasons.
- The Orediggers have not lost a match since Oct. 26. and boast 16 sweeps on the season.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 279-93 in 12 seasons at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces third-seeded Angelo State on Friday at 5 p.m. inside Regis Fieldhouse in Denver in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 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. Fans can also follow Mines Volleyball on Twitter using the handle @MinesVolleyball.