GOLDEN, Colo. - Black Hills State volleyball competed on the road on Friday night against a tough No. 22 Colorado School of Mines team as they fell 3-0 in the match. 
 
The Yellow Jackets put up an impressive effort in their net defense against the Orediggers, racking up eight total blocks against one of the most hard-hitting offenses in the RMAC. Mariah Robinson and Madison Hoopman each netted in a solo block while five Yellow Jackets, including the two seniors, held three or more assisted blocks on the night. 
 
Aiyana Byrd was an effective piece of the Yellow Jacket offense tonight as she tied with Hoopman and Kindra Cerrone with six kills on her stat line, recording a team-leading .333 clip against the Orediggers. Karly Marx held 18 of the 26 total BHSU assists and held the lone service ace for the Yellow Jackets. 
 
 
Set One (L, 25-15): BHSU started the game hot on a 3-0 scoreboard courtesy of a Byrd/Hoopman block and a Marx service ace. CSMT tacked on the board following a Yellow Jacket attack error and Oredigger service ace to make it a 3-2 set. 
 
Following a 4-4 tie both teams exchanged scores until a 6-1 series gave CSMT the 11-7 lead. The Orediggers continued to expand their lead on multiple rallies. Although BHSU began to charge back in the latter half of the set, an Orediggers set highlighted by four total blocks gave them a lead that proved too large to surmount. 
 
Set Two (WL, 25-19): Both teams swung momentum back and forth in the early goings of the second set as an 8-all scoreboard reflected six tying scores and two lead changes. The Orediggers jumped ahead to a 10-8 lead, and although the Yellow Jackets continued to fight, they could not tie again as the Orediggers later took a 19-12 lead on a five-score run. 
 
The score gap acted as a cushion for CSMT, as much of the latter half of the set saw both sides of the net trade serves until the Orediggers tacked on the set point. 
 
Set Three (L, 25-12): Set three opened with a toe-to-toe 6-6 score until CSMT recorded three in a row to force a BHSU timeout. The Orediggers came out of the break and scored another five to go up 14-6 until the Yellow Jackets began answering back. Keeping pace with BHSU to a 17-10 score, CSMT outscored BHSU 8-2 to retire the set and take the match. 
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets head to Chadron, Nebraska for their final game of the 2022 campaign, taking on the Eagles at 5 p.m.