CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State volleyball opened the RMAC season with a straight sets loss to Colorado School of Mines Friday night in the Chicoine Center – 24-26, 16-25, 22-25.
The Eagles (2-7, 0-1 RMAC) hung within a couple points of Mines (4-5, 1-0 RMAC) in two of the three sets, but ultimately couldn't replicate their five-set comeback win over the Orediggers from a season ago.
Alejandra Briseno led Chadron State with 12 kills while
Alondra Hernandez and
Avery Lacy had 11 digs apiece. Freshman
Mataya Ward contributed six kills, a .545 hitting percentage, two service aces and a block in her Chicoine Center debut.
The Eagles hit .168 as a team, but that percentage was done in by a second set where CSC had nine kills against 10 errors. The Eagles hit .244 in the first set and .308 in the third.
In the first set, Mines used an 8-2 scoring run to open up a 16-11 lead, but the Eagles answered with an 8-3 run of their own, as back-to-back kills from
Natali Keni and
Aiyana Fujiyama made it 19-19 in set one. The Eagles also saved two set points thanks to a couple of Mines attack errors, which tied the score at 24-24, before the Orediggers came back with a kill and an ace to ice the set.
Mines controlled the second set from the first serve, opening up 4-1, 10-5 and 19-11 leads on their way to a 25-16 second-set win. The Orediggers hit .333 in that set, with 12 kills against just one error.
The Eagles had their best offensive set in the third, racking up 16 kills on a .308 percentage. For a moment, Chadron looked poised to win the set with a 20-17 lead, but Mines won eight of the match's final 10 points, including a critical successful challenge which turned a tie game into a two-point Oredigger lead, to turn the tables and earn the sweep.
For Mines, Hannah Kinnison had a 12-kill, 14-dig double-double, leading the Orediggers in both categories. Mines hit .306 for the game and had nine blocks and 47 kills.
Chadron State will return to the court Saturday night against No. 2 MSU Denver. The Roadrunners (8-1, 1-0 RMAC) defeated Colorado Christian 28-26, 25-13, 25-22 on Friday night. First serve is at 6 p.m., and any Eagle fans who attend Saturday's football game at noon can enter the volleyball match for free with their ticket.
