DENVER, Colo. – Black Hills State volleyball fell to the No. 2 MSU Denver Roadrunners in three sets on Saturday afternoon.
 
Mariah Robinson and Emily Freeland led the Yellow Jacket attack as both players recorded five kills on 12 total attacks, with Freeland recording a team-high .250 hitting efficiency against the Roadrunners. Hannah Lamon led from behind the line with a pair of service aces, also recording a kill and eight assists with five digs. Haedyn Rhoades complimented Lamon with a service ace of her own as well as nine digs on the afternoon.
 
Set One (L, 25-12): MSU Denver was on top in a tight 4-3 start to the game but quickly expanded to a 10-5 lead after capitalizing on Yellow Jacket errors. The Yellow Jackets fought their way out of the rut and began to record team kills, but MSU Denver went back-and-forth with BHSU and maintained their lead going into a 13-8 score. The Roadrunners began to run away with the set, expanding to a 19-10 lead into a BHSU timeout. MSU Denver continued to play tough and notched a 6-2 series to end the first set.  
 
Set Two (L, 25-14): After a 3-3 start, MSU Denver expanded to a 7-3 lead on a four-score run, leading to an 11-5 Roadrunner lead. Coming out of a BHSU timeout, the Yellow Jackets put up a four-score series of their own to bring them back within four at 13-9. Once again, MSU Denver matched Yellow Jacket scores to maintain the four-point lead, eventually gaining the traction needed to finish the set as the Roadrunners went on to put away the set after a pair of scoring series'. 
 
Set Three (L, 25-16): The Roadrunners quickly took a 5-0 lead over BHSU, but an attack error and a Haedyn Rhoades service ace put the Yellow Jackets on the board. MSU Denver controlled the match as the game went into a 14-6 scoreboard, but the Yellow Jackets stirred up momentum and brought themselves back to a 15-11 deficit. Despite BHSU putting up a fight in the middle of the set, MSU Denver took the match in a 10-5 series down the stretch to end the match.
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets return home to the Donald E. Young Center on Friday, Oct. 7 in a matchup against the No. 21 Colorado Mesa at 7 p.m., kicking off a four-game home series.