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.
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.
