GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo volleyball team closed out its weekend road trip Saturday evening with a three-set setback against Colorado School of Mines in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action at Lockridge Arena.
CSU Pueblo (8-9, 3-3 RMAC) fell by scores of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-9 to the Orediggers (13-3, 4-2 RMAC). The ThunderWolves battled Mines closely through the opening two sets before the Orediggers pulled away with a strong offensive performance in the third.
Brianna Pino paced the Pack offensively with nine kills, while Lilly Zwart followed with eight kills. Finja Schul turned in a strong all-around performance with seven kills on a .278 hitting percentage while contributing a solo block and five block assists. Schul and Pino each finished with 10.5 points.
Madison Gardner directed the ThunderWolves' offense with 22 assists and recorded the team's lone service ace. Defensively, Kacee Garcia and Chinaru Pao shared the team lead with six digs apiece, while Lola King added five.
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle that included seven ties and six lead changes. CSU Pueblo overcame an early deficit and used a four-point run to grab a 12-11 advantage, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Pino and a block from Gardner and Schul. Mines answered and eventually built an 18-14 lead before closing the set, 25-19.
The ThunderWolves again stayed within striking distance throughout the second set. The Pack led 5-3 early and later went ahead 10-9 following Gardner's service ace. Neither side could create much separation through the middle portion of the frame, and CSU Pueblo pulled within one at 20-19 following an Oredigger attack error. Mines, however, scored five of the final six points to take the set 25-20 and build a 2-0 match advantage.
Mines carried that momentum into the third and hit .556 with 17 kills and just two attacking errors. The Orediggers used an extended run midway through the set to take control before completing the sweep with a 25-9 victory. CSU Pueblo finished the match with 29 kills and six total blocks while Mines recorded 47 kills and eight blocks.
Up Next
CSU Pueblo returns to Pueblo to begin a five-match homestand beginning Friday, Oct. 9 against Westminster.
