RAPID CITY, S.D. In a tight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference volleyball match Tuesday evening, host South Dakota Mines was able to fend off Western Colorado, 3-1, at the King Center.
The Mountaineers were within reach of the Hardrockers throughout most of the match, bouncing back from a 2-0 deficit to win the third set only to have SDM steal a four-point fourth set for the match.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: S.D. Mines def. Western, 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21)
Records: Western 2-13 overall (0-6 RMAC), S.D. Mines 9-6 (3-4)
Location: King Center, Rapid City, S.D.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Facing defeat and trailing from the beginning point of the third set, Western rallied to tie the score at 15-15 and then at 18-18 and went on from there to capture seven of the next 11 points to grab the set victory.
- The comeback in the set began with the Mountaineers trailing 15-9 and on a kill by Miya Alvarado after an SDM attack error. With Maggie Olson now serving Western scored the next four points to pull even.
- Seyun Park broke the 18-18 tie with a kill and eventually Olson put the set-winning strike down the line to finish off the rally.
- Western never led in the fourth set but battled back from an 18-11 deficit to pull within two at 23-21 on another Alvarado kill. The Hardrockers took the next two points, though, for the set and the match.
- The toughest set of the night for Western may have been the opening set. It had a slight lead at 11-7 but SDM inched in front a short time later. The Mountaineers pulled even at 18-18 only to surrender the next seven points that allowed SDM to escape with the set win.
NET NOTES
- Olson led all players in the match with 14 kills while Park's 11 were second most in the match.
- Nur Turkmenoglu set up the Western attack and finished with a match-high 34 assists, also adding 5 digs and a pair of kills.
- SDM finished the night with nine service aces, to just two by Western, and though both teams accumulated the same number of attacking errors, the Hardrockers' 48-41 advantage in total kills was also a factor in edging out the Mountaineers.
UP NEXT
The Mountaineers return home to Paul Wright Gym for their next match, an RMAC bout Saturday against visiting Black Hills State.