SMSU VOLLEYBALL: Mustangs continue dominance, sweep Colorado Christian, School of Mines
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GOLDEN, Colo. -- SMSU continued their dominance, upsetting No. 12 Colorado School of Mines 25-23, 25-15, 25-19 to finish the Colorado School of Mines Classic on Saturday. Angela Young was named tournament MVP, while Meg Schmidt was named to the all-tournament team.
Payton Hjerleid tied a school record, recording eight service aces to help lead the Mustangs. She also added 8 digs, while Schmidt and Young added nine and eight kills, respectively.
The Mustangs outhit the Orediggers .313 to .140. The SMSU offense limited themselves to eight attack errors, while Mines combined for 24.
Down 18-10 in the first set, the Mustangs looked for an answer to the Mines attack. The answer came with a collective effort. In the 15-5 run to end the set, Hjerleid tallied three aces, while Angela Young Alisa Bengen, and Halle Jansen added two kills apiece to lead the comeback.
The second set was all SMSU after taking a 5-4 lead early on. An 8-2 run to end the set helped bury the Orediggers. The Mustangs took advantage of 10 Mines errors on their way to a second set victory. Hjerleid added another four aces, including three in the final four points, while Emma VanHeel added three kills to pace the Mustangs.
Set three was a display of continued dominance. After dropping the first point, SMSU won four straight, and held a lead the rest of the set. Schmidt brought the thunder, delivering four kills in the set on her way to all-tournament honors.
The freshmen continued contributing to the cause, with VanHeel picking up six kills and four blocks, Katelyn Nichols adding four kills and five blocks, and Halle Jansen tallying three kills and a dig.
The Mustangs have won 12 consecutive sets for the first time since Oct. 12-20, 2018. SMSU will be back in action at the Fort Hays State Classic on Sept. 10-11 against Black Hills State, Fort Hays State, Emporia State, and Adams State.
SMSU 3,
Colorado Christian 0
GOLDEN, Colo.- SMSU kicked off day two Saturday with a 25-15, 25-19, 25-22 victory over Colorado Christian to begin the Colorado School of Mines Classic with a 3-0 record.
Meg Schmidt filled the stat sheet for the Mustangs, finishing with five kills, four aces, three blocks, and three digs. Emma VanHeel continued a strong start to her career with eight kills and four blocks, and Angela Young finished the match with 12 kills.
The Mustangs shot out of the gate, winning the first eight points of the first set, led by three service aces by Rachel Fink. Colorado Christian continued battling, trading points with the mustangs after the early run, but were unable to overcome the flurry. SMSU finished on a 5-1 run, capped off by a Payton Hjerleid service ace. SMSU won the first set with four service aces to compliment 12 kills.
The second set was more of the same for the Mustangs, jumping to a 10-5 lead early and never looking back. With Colorado College cutting the Mustang lead to 18-15, Schmidt took over, recording a kill and back-to-back service aces to create separation that would not be overcome.
Set three was a different tone for the Mustangs, falling behind 7-5 to start the set. A back-and-forth game tilted in the direction of SMSU with the score at 22-22, with a point off a CCU service error, Schmidt kill, and Alisa Bengen service ace to cap off the victory.
SMSU finished with 10 aces, the first time since Oct. 27, 2018, against Minnesota State. Freshmen Katelyn Nichols and Halle Jensen added seven and five kills, respectively, and junior Rachel Fink collected three aces and five digs. Hjerleid led the Mustangs with 10 digs.
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