DENVER – The Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team completed a historic win Friday night as it toppled #12-ranked Angelo State in four sets inside Regis Fieldhouse and punched its ticket to the South Central Regional Championship match for the first time in program history.
 
Abby Tiesman trumped all players on offense thanks to 20 kills on 38 attempts on only one error, hitting .500 on the match. Lindsey Jin joined in with 16 kills at a .233 clip on the outside. Rose Stuewe made it a trio of double-digit hitters, notching 13 kills and hitting .333 over four sets. Defensively, Elle Duis stole the show by racking up 26 digs while Amanda Donais notched 10. Tiesman also supported the defensive effort with eight total blocks. Drew Stokes turned in a 51-assist, 11-dig double-double. Stokes also added three blocks, two kills and one service ace.
 
The victory extended the Orediggers' winning streak to 10 straight matches. Mines (25-6) relied heavily on its defense and finished with 81 digs and 12 blocks. That effort held Angelo State (29-3) to a hitting percentage of .147 and only 48 kills compared to 64 kills from the Orediggers' offense. Mines outperformed its opponent in nearly every single statistical category except the service game. Angelo State had one more service ace and three less service errors than the Orediggers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With Friday's shoddy weather a distance memory and the sun setting behind the Rocky Mountains, fans arrived at Regis Fieldhouse prepared to witness a battle. Both Mines and Angelo State delivered a knock-down, drag-out fight that went point-for-point in every set starting with the first. Twenty-two total points of action found the Orediggers and Belles tied 11-11. Then, Mines put together an 8-2 run that was fueled by three kills from Jin and four from Tiesman. The Orediggers' 18-13 advantage turned into a 20-14 margin and eventually a 22-16 gap. However, Angelo State bowed its neck and exploded for a 9-1 run to take the lead. Mines' response proved too little too late as ASU shocked the Orediggers with a 28-26 win in the opening set.
 
The second set turned from point-for-point into a game of runs. Angelo State notched the first point of the game and Mines responded with a 3-0 run. That led to a 5-0 spurt for the Belles before the Orediggers called a timeout. After the 90-second break, the second frame settled back into a grind. Mines took an 11-8 lead and ASU proceeded to tie it at 12-12 and 13-13. Moves and countermoves ensued all the way to 22-22. At that point, Jin slammed down a kill to give the Orediggers the lead. Amanda Donais and Tiesman teamed up for a block to give Mines set point. Angelo State delayed the inevitable with its 23rd point of the set, but Tiesman finished it with a kill for the 25-23 Oredigger victory.
 
With the match even at one set apiece, the intensity inside Regis Fieldhouse continued to rise. Colorado School of Mines Director of Athletics David Hansburg had already shifted location out of superstition and finished the match watching the live stats in Clarke Hall next door. Assistant Athletic Director Rob Thompson had also shifted seats in hopes of shifting momentum and karma while every fan watched each rally with bated breath.
 
Mines burst out of the gates in set three and took a 3-0 lead to start the frame. However, the Belles kept pace and eventually took a lead of their own at 11-10. The ASU advantage was short lived and proved its only of the game. Back-to-back attacking errors by Angelo State allowed Mines to retake the lead and the Orediggers did not look back. Eiken sparked a 4-0 run to make it 20-14. Eventually, Tiesman finished the set once again. The crafty veteran attacked with a tip that brought the ASU defense into the net resulting in a blocking error and a 25-23 victory for the Orediggers along with a 2-1 advantage in the match.
 
In the final set, Mines and Angelo State went point-for-point all the way to 5-5. Then, the flavor of the match switched back to scoring runs. Stuewe knocked down a kill that started a 4-0 run for the Orediggers. The Belles replied back with a 6-0 run, taking an 11-9 advantage. A solo block by Stokes and an attack error by ASU sent Mines on an 8-1 tare that resulted in a 16-12 advantage. Angelo State never recovered. Some might argue that 5,280 feet of altitude took its toll, but those watching the match know that the Orediggers' defense became truly stifling. Mines only surrendered three more points in a set that featured six Oredigger blocks. One of those blocks came off the hands of Stokes and Tiesman, giving Mines set point at 24-16. This time, there was no delay. With Tiesman at the service line, ASU attempted an attack to no avail. Audrey Richard dug it out, Stokes tossed up the set and Eiken knocked down the kill to claim the 25-16 victory and a historic win for the Orediggers.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines went 2-0 against Angelo State in 2019 and accounted for 66 percent of the Belles' losses after sweeping ASU earlier this season.
- The Orediggers now boast an overall record of 9-11 in 20 NCAA Tournament matches with Jamie Magalei as head coach.
- Additionally, Mines is 4-5 in four-set matches in the NCAA Tournament with Magalei at the helm.
- Elle Duis surpassed 1,000 digs for her career in Friday night's match, touting 1,020 digs as a sophomore.
- Friday marked Mines' fifth match of the season against a nationally-ranked opponent. The Orediggers are 2-3 in those contests.
- In 2019, Tiesman boasts six matches with 20 kills or more. She's up to 430 on the season which ranks #7 on Mines' all-time, single-season list. She also has 1,206 kills in her career.
- Stokes' 51 assists put her at 1,364 on the year which is the third most in a single season by any Oredigger ever. She also recorded the 15th double-double of her career.
- Furthermore, Stokes moved up to 2,709 career assists which ranks #4 all-time for the Orediggers.
- The Orediggers have not lost a match since Oct. 26. and boast 16 sweeps on the season.
- Head coach Jamie Magalei is 280-93 in 12 seasons at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces off against #11-ranked and top-seeded Regis on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament Championship match inside Regis Fieldhouse. Live stats and video will be available at www.minesathletics.com. Colorado School of Mines Students receive free admission by showing their Blaster Card.
 
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.