GUNNISON, Colo. – After forcing a fifth set, the Black Hills State University volleyball team defeated Western State, 3-2, on Saturday night.

The Yellow Jackets took sets two, four, and five, while the Mountaineers took sets one and three. The sets went as follows: 25-23, 25-23, 25-15, 25-19, and 15-11.

Black Hills State improves to 9-12 overall and 6-6 in conference play, while Western State falls to 3-18 on the season and 2-10 in conference.

In set one, the Yellow Jackets trailed until 12-all, when they went on a 3-0 run and kept the lead for the set until 19-all. From there, the two teams traded off points until 23-all. Western State grabbed the last two points to end the set at 25-23, and take the lead in the match, 1-0.

In the second set, the Green and Gold trailed most of the way until 19-all. Both teams traded off points until the Yellow Jackets took a one-point lead at 23-22, off an error by the Mountaineers. Laurel Lech set up the set point, but a kill by Cierra Abbott gave BHSU one more chance to end it, with Cheyenne Palu smashing one down to end the set, 25-23, and tie the match, 1-1.

After falling in set three, the Yellow Jackets found their momentum in set four, as they led the whole set. However, after having an eight-point lead at 20-12, the Mountaineers tried chipping away at the Green and Gold lead. Western State cut the lead to six at 20-14.

At 24-16, the Mountaineers went on a 3-0 run to threaten a comeback and trail by five. That was not enough though, as Sierra Stugelmeyer ended the set, 25-19, to tie the match, and force a fifth set.

The fifth set was a nail-bitter, as the two teams traded off points until 7-all, when Stugelmeyer scored the go-ahead point at 8-7. Western State tied it up again at 9-all, causing the Green and Gold to take a timeout.

After the timeout, the Yellow Jackets went on a 4-0 run, starting with Ellise Lech smashing one down to lead 10-9. The next three points came from Mountaineer errors. However, the run was enough, as BHSU ended the set, 15-11, and took the match, 3-2.

"Tonight was another huge road win," said head coach Kristin Carmichael. "We didn't play our best volleyball but we stayed committed to strategies and playing one point at a time. Going .500 on this six-game road stretch was a great team effort."

Ellise Lech and Cheyenne Palu worked alongside each other, as they both scored in double digits for the Yellow Jacket offense. E. Lech notched 17 kills and a .318 hitting percentage, while Palu had 11 kills and a .440 hitting percentage. Laurel Lech registered 39 assists on the night.

On defense, Sydney Ederhoff recorded 24 digs. Palu worked alongside Ederhoff, blocking eight shots.

Black Hills State returns home to the Young Center on Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28, to host the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and Metropolitan State University Denver. First serve is set for 7 p.m. on Friday and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.