Spearfish, S.D. – The Black Hills State volleyball team was able to take one game from No. 23 Metro State, but fell in four hard fought sets (23-25, 22-25, 25-19, 23-25) to the Roadrunners on Friday night.
Templeton had a monster first set with seven kills on just 12 attempts, but the Yellow Jackets fell in a close 23-25 set. Kylee Lamb helped the Yellow Jackets with some solid defense in the second set, but errors hindered the Yellow Jackets, which led to a 22-25 set. In the third set, the Yellow Jackets took an early 10-5 lead and kept their foot on the accelerator. BHSU had an attack percentage of .441 to help lead the Yellow Jackets to a 25-19 set. In the fourth set, the Yellow Jackets were neck-and-neck with the Roadrunners once again, but fell 23-25.
Templeton had a season-high 21 kills on 36 attempts (.417 kill percentage). Amy O'Neill came on strong with 14 kills and nine digs. Kelsey Olson led the Yellow Jackets with 12 digs and Meghan Sipe added nine.
Kylee Lamb led the Yellow Jacket defense with six blocks. Darbi Yost and Holly Hamlin each added four.
Yost had her best performance of the year as she recorded a season-high 48 assists.
In all three dropped sets, the Yellow Jackets lost by a total of seven points. The last time these two teams faced off on Sept. 15, the Yellow Jackets lost in straight-sets (20-25, 14-25, 18-25).
"We are extremely proud of how hard our gals played. We fought to the end and showed a lot of heart," said head coach Sally Nichols. "Darbi played a tremendous match tonight and put us in a position to win. We have come a long way this year and we are pleased with our progress."
The Yellow Jackets will play their final game of season Saturday afternoon against No. 14 Regis University. The Yellow Jackets will also honor three student-athletes who will be playing their last game in a Jacket uniform. BHSU will bid farewell to seniors Kylee Lamb and Kyla Johnson. Junior Darbi Yost, who has decided to pursue a nursing degree, will also play her final game for BHSU. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
