RAPID CITY, S.D. (September 28, 2019) – Colorado State University-Pueblo Volleyball triumphed over the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in four sets (26-24, 20-25, 25-15, 25-13) at the King Center Friday.
 
The Pack found success on the defensive end, coming up with 80 digs and 13 blocks. Kyle Meltzer (Jr., Fort Collins, Colo.) led the Pack with 23 digs. Sarah Vang (Sr., Parker, Colo.) collected 19 digs, matching her career-high. Page  Heller (Sr., Vancouver, Wash.) totaled 11 digs.
 
Brooke Schilling (Jr., Platteville, Colo.) and Payton Stack (Jr., Casper, Wyo.) led the Pack with 12 kills. Stack hit .400 for the match, while Schilling hit .370. The 12 kills stand as a season-high for Stack. She finished with four blocks. Schilling added seven digs.
 
Diamond'Nique Young (Fr., Fresno, Calif.) stuffed South Dakota Mines en route to eight blocks. Young also knocked down nine kills. She hit .500 for the match.
 
Setters Kelsey Bell (Sr., Los Lunas, N.M.) and Grace Hern (So., Omaha, Neb.) each totaled seven digs. Hern dished out 22 assists, while Bell contributed 15 assists.
 
The Pack outhit the Hardrockers .266 to .151. CSU-Pueblo committed just 11 errors.
 
The Hardrockers came out on fire, scoring the first six points of the match. CSU-Pueblo chipped away at the deficit and used a 4-0 run to tie the first set at 14.  South Dakota Mines would eventually take a 24-22 lead late in the set. Facing game point, the Pack battled back with a 4-0 run that gave them a 26-24 win in the opening frame.
 
SD Mines used a 5-0 run to jump in front 19-12 They withstood a couple of runs by the Pack and pulled out a 25-20 set win to even the match.
 
The ThunderWolves dominated sets three and four. They held the Hardrockers to a .061 hitting clip in the third. CSU-Pueblo hit .389 in the fourth to clinch the win.  The Pack used a 6-0 run to make it 18-12 in the third. They rolled to win that set 25-15.
 
The Pack scored the first six points of the fourth set and never looked back. They clinched the match with a 25-13 victory in set four.
 
Both the Pack and Hardrockers now stand 2-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. CSU-Pueblo improved to 4-8. The Hardrockers fell to 6-7.
 
The Pack will visit New Mexico Highlands University Tuesday. This midweek RMAC match will start at 7 p.m.
 
Leaders of the Pack:
Kills: Schilling, Stack (12)
Assists: Hern (22)
Digs: Meltzer (23)
Blocks: Young (8)
Hitting percentage: Young (.500)
Aces: Jazzy Espinoza (2)
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.