GOLDEN, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks put down 53 kills in balanced fashion and hit .366 as they rolled to a 3-set, 25-13, 25-20, 25-23 road sweep over the Colorado School of Mines on Saturday evening here in the Orediggers' Lockridge Arena.
 
The Mavericks had three players in double figures for kills and another two who finished with nine as setter Sabrina VanDeList doled out 44 assists, the highest 3-set individual total in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play thus far in 2024.
 
CMU, ranked 18^th in the AVCA/TARAFLEX NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll, improved to 9-3 overall and to 3-1 in RMAC play while Mines fell to 5-7 overall and 2-2 in the loop after recording just 26 kills and a .169 hitting percentage as a team.
 
Right side Sierra Hunt led the Mavericks for the second straight night, recording a dozen kills on .333 hitting.  Stormi Tadlock also added a season-high 11 kills and hit .667 with just one hitting error while outside hitter Sydney Leffler was also in double figures with ten kills.  She also had nine digs.
 
Fellow outside Erin Brown also added a career-high nine kills while Nicole Martin also added nine.
 
Libero Allison Waller led all players with ten digs as the Mavericks recorded a 42-25 digging advantage.
 
Mines' Taylor Helms and Hannah Kinnison had eight kills each in the losing cause.
 
The Mavericks hit .440 in the opening set and then posted identical .342 team attack percentages in the second and third.
 
The Mavs dominated the first set getting out to a 6-1 lead and used another 6-0 run to build a dominating 20-8 lead later in that frame, which saw Hunt record five kills on just six swings.
 
The Mavs also jumped out to a commanding 10-1 lead in the second set as Brown recorded three kills in four rallies while finishing the set with five kills on just eight swings.
 
The Orediggers would close the gap to 19-15 and later to 23-20 after a pair of successful challenges before a Leffler kill and solo block during the final three points of the set allowed the Mavericks to go up, 2-0 overall.
 
The Orediggers would lead for much of the third set and led 20-16 before a 5-0 run that featured kills from Leffler, Tadlock and Hunt as well as a VanDeList service aces gave the Mavericks a 21-20 lead.
 
The Orediggers then tied the set at 21 before a service error gave the Mavericks a 22-21 lead, which they extended to 24-21 on kills from Hunt and Brown.  The hosts then fought off tow of the necessary three match points but could not overcome the third as Hunt finished the match with her final kill.
 
The Mavericks have now claimed four wins in five outings this season at the Lockridge Arena after opening the season with a 3-1 mark at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic.
 
The Mavs have also won each of their three matches following a loss this season, all in 3-set sweeps.  Eight of CMU's nine wins have also come in straight sets.
 
The Mavericks will close out a stretch of three consecutive matches on the road on Tuesday when they travel to Salt Lake City to face Westminster in a RMAC Regional Pod match-up.  The Griffins fell in five sets to Mines on Friday night and were swept at No. 2 ranked MSU Denver on Saturday afternoon to fall to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in RMAC play. 
 
Tuesday's match, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Griffins' Behnken Field House will not count in the RMAC standings.