Box Score LAKEWOOD, COLO. – The Black Hills State University volleyball team fell, 3-1, on Friday night to Colorado Christian.  The Cougars defeated the Yellow Jackets by scores of 25-18, 25-9, 22-25, and 25-12.
 
Colorado Christian jumped out to an early, 8-2, lead over the Green and Gold in the first set.  Kills from both Madison Hoopman and Makayala Bell kept the score in close range.  CCU went on a 5-2 run to get a 20-12 lead over Black Hills State.  The Yellow Jackets responded with a 6-2 run to bridge the gap of the Cougars, 22-18, lead.  CCU eventually went on to take the initial set, 25-18, to lead the match.
 
The Cougars attacked early in the second set, taking a 7-3 lead over the Green and Gold and never looked back.   Colorado Christian put together two successful runs to take the set, 25-9, to lead the match, 2-0.
 
The third set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team setting a substantial lead until the Cougars took a 4-1 run to lead the Yellow Jackets, 10-7.  A kill from Sierra Stugelmeyer, Hoopman, and Bell helped advance the Green and Gold in a 7-3 run to tie up the set, 18-18.  Back-to-back kills from Ellise Lech gave the Yellow Jackets a 25-22 third set victory.
 
Black Hills State was able to tie the fourth set, 4-4, until the Cougars used two major runs to put the score at 15-7 in favor of Colorado Christian.  Kills by Hoopman and Ellise Lech helped cut down the Cougars lead.  Unable to string a successful run, the Yellow Jackets would ultimately lose the set, and the match, 3-1.
 
Hoopman led the Green and Gold with 11 kills, followed by Ellise and Laurel Lech with seven kills each.
 
The Yellow Jackets will head to Denver, Colo., to take on Regis University for the final away game of the 2018 season.  Game time is slated at 5 p.m., on Saturday.