COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The University of Colorado Colorado Springs volleyball team (5-5 / 1-1 RMAC) falls to No. 19 Colorado Mines (7-3 / 2-0 RMAC) in five sets (19-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-12).

UCCS came out strong in the first two sets, surprising the 19th ranked team in the nation as the Mountain Lions had a 2-0 lead going into the intermission.

Jordan Banich picked up right where she left off from the night before. Banich scored six kills in the final set of the previous night's match, and started off the first set with four more kills to lead all Mountain Lions in the set. She finished the match with 13 kills, 11 digs, and a match-high four block assists.

It was Kristen Sciacca who led UCCS in the second set as she recorded four of her 14 kills and two of her three block assists. Sciacca finished with a match-high .520 hitting percent and a match-high three solo blocks.

Colorado Mines went into the intermission trailing 2-0, but the No. 19 ranked team came out of the break looking like the No. 19 ranked team.  The Orediggers were able to turn the tide in the third set and avoid a Mountain Lion sweep by winning the set 25-19. Although the Mountain Lions fell by six points, it was a highly contested set which saw 10 tie scores and three lead changes.

The momentum was in favor of the Orediggers after the third set, and they refused to let go as they took the fourth set by eight points.

The fifth and final set was the most closely contested as there were nine tie scores and five lead changes in the race to 15 points. The set went back and forth the entire time, with neither team gaining firm control.

Freshman Emily Whitelaw had her best set of the match and the best set of her young career as she recorded seven of her 14 kills. Whitelaw finished with a hitting percent of .429 and added three block assists and one solo block.

Up Next: The UCCS Mountain Lions will travel to Spearfish S.D., and Chadron, Neb., next weekend to face Black Hills State (4-5 / 0-2 RMAC) Friday and Chadron State (3-7 / 0-2 RMAC) Saturday.