by Andrew Kiser
When the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers inched closer to a potential fifth set, was also when CMU’s volleyball team’s Gabriella Dias took over the game.
Dias had three of her game-high 18 kills in the final seven points and the Mavericks held off the number 18 ranked Orediggers, 3-1, on Saturday.
For Dias, the game before the Orediggers she had four errors and finished with a negative .222 hitting percentage. She knew she had to play better for the game against School of Mines.
“Yesterday, I did not have a really good game, so I just came with the mindset that I will do my best and I would be dynamic and athletic as much as I could,” Dias said. “Every time the ball was coming to me, I was just glad that I could get an opportunity to score one more point.”
Dias believes with the win that the team has more confidence going forward.
“I feel like we have more confidence,” Dias said. “It shows us that we are really good because last year we lost every game and this year we were thinking if we beat that team we are really good.”
“I think (the win) was huge the outsides did not play that great today, but played phenomenal yesterday,” head coach Dave Fleming said. “So finding a way to win when they are not at their best against a team that is atop of the conference is huge for our confidence.”
Before CMU’s win against the Orediggers, the Mavericks faced off against the Colorado Christian Cougars, who came in with a 14-5 record.
The match began with the Mavericks and Cougars trading points. CMU was able to take the lead for good at 20-19 and eventually won the first set, 25-20.
In the second set, CCU tied the match, 25-23. But in the next set, CMU took control as the Cougars committed 10 errors and the Mavs won 25-18.
The fourth set ended with the Mavs leading 24-21, but the Cougars staved off three match points and won the set, 28-26. The final set began with the teams trading points until it was tied 8-8. But the Mavs then went on a 7-2 run and they won the set, 15-10.
Allison Smith finished the match with a career-high 24 kills and Mackenzie Edwards finished with a double-double of 23 kills and 16 digs.
The next day, the Mavericks hosted the Orediggers, who were 15-3 and 9-0 in the RMAC. The match began with both teams trading points with neither team building a sizable lead.
With the score at 24-21, CMU was only one point away from taking the first set, but two blocks from School of Mines put pressure on the Mavs to win the set. However, on the next point, the Orediggers were unable to block Hattie Gianinetti’s kill as CMU won the first set, 25-23.
The second set was not nearly as close. CMU built an early 8-2 lead and easily won the set, 25-12.
“Orediggers could not stop anything,” Fleming said. “We were in rhythm and confident, that happens, you get on a roll.”
While the second set was easy for the Mavericks, the next two sets would prove to be difficult for the team. The third set began with the Orediggers scoring three straight points from a kill, block and an ace.
The Mavericks eventually took the lead at 5-4, but then both teams would trade points back and forth. After a Mavs 19-16 lead, the Orediggers rattled seven straight points and looked to have the momentum. But the Mavs scored four straight points to tie the game at 23 all.
The teams would trade points back and forth again, but a kill by the Orediggers and an error by Dias allowed School of Mines to take the third set.
The fourth set began with both teams once again trading points with each other. CMU developed some breathing room at 12-8 before the Orediggers called timeout. But after the timeout, the Orediggers tied the match again.
At 21 all, the Mavs would take the lead for good off of a kill by Dias. The team won the set from a key block from Gianinetti and Smith. CMU took the fourth set, 25-22.
“We were really prepared mentally for this game because we knew they were a really good team and we had to do our best to win,” Dias said.
Gianinetti had 13 kills, while Ali Svorinic added 51 assists and Taylor Woods finished with 18 digs.
With the wins over the weekend, the Mavs are 15-3, 9-1 in conference and now in second place in the RMAC.
Next week the team travels to South Dakota to play against Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines. The team plays against Black Hills at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21.
