SPEARFISH, S.D. – Laurel Lech recorded a triple-double as the Black Hills State University volleyball team took down Colorado State University-Pueblo, 3-1, on Friday evening. The Thunderwolves (3-8, 1-2 RMAC) took the first set, 25-14, before the Yellow Jackets (4-7, 2-1 RMAC) won the next three sets (25-20, 25-20, 25-15) to earn the victory in the first home game of the season for BHSU.
"It was great to finally be home after three long weekends away. After our first set jitters, we settled in and put together a complete match," said head coach Kristin Carmichael. "I thought our hitters played aggressively, but were also very smart, and we were very scrappy defensively. I want to give a huge shout out to the awesome crowd who we hope to see at every home match!"
The first set started out back-and-forth, with neither team able to establish momentum. However, with the scored tied, 12-12, the Thunderwolves earned a sideout, and then took advantage of the rotation, as Kyle Meltzer served 10 consecutive points. The visitors would take the first set, 25-14.
The Yellow Jackets answered back in a big way, beginning the second set with four straight points before CSUP tallied a point. The Green and Gold would hold the Thunderwolves at arms' length the rest of the set, eventually winning, 25-20, to tie up the match. The third set played out much the same way, with the home side winning, 25-20, once again.
In the fourth set, the Thunderwolves battled to stay in the match, keeping apace until the score was tied, 7-7. Then Haedyn Rhoades served five consecutive points, helped by three kills by Lech and two by Kindra Cerrone. The Yellow Jackets built their lead out, eventually taking the fourth set, 25-15, to win the match, 3-1. Laurel Lech put an exclamation point on the match, acing the final point.
Lech had a triple-double, recording 31 assists, 10 kills, and 10 digs. It was the senior's first career triple-double. Cerrone had 20 kills in the match, hitting .351, while Madee Hoopman hit .225 on the way to 16 kills. Rhoades tallied 30 digs and Tess Thomas has 23 assists and 11 digs. The team hit .300 in the third set and .318 in the fourth set, also recording a 80.0 sideout percentage in both sets.
Next Up
The Yellow Jackets will next host New Mexico Highlands on Saturday, September 28. The match is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
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Black Hills State is located in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota, sponsoring 13 NCAA sports with membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the NCAA emerging sport of women's triathlon and NIRA rodeo. For all information regarding Yellow Jacket Athletics, please visit BHSUAthletics.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @BHSUAthletics.
---BHSUAthletics.com---
