GOLDEN, Colo.- SMSU kicks off day two with a 25-15, 25-19, 25-22 victory over Colorado College 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 Jansen added seven and five kills, respectively, and junior Rachel Fink collected three aces and five digs. Hjerleid led the Mustangs with 10 digs. 
 
The Mustangs have won nine consecutive sets for the first time since Oct. 12-20, when they had won 12 in a row. SMSU will be back in action at 5:30 pm, when they take on No. 12 Colorado School of Mines.