Yellow Jacket volleyball lost in a five-set game to Chadron State on Friday and fell to the No. 19 Colorado Mines in four on Saturday.
 
Madison Hoopman led the offensive attack over the weekend for the Yellow Jackets, racking up 39 kills, 41 digs, six service aces, and two blocks. Kindra Cerrone and Abigail Renner put up fighting numbers over the two games, with Cerrone tacking on 26 kills, a trio of aces, a block, and 28 digs. Renner would notch 24 kills and a pair of digs for herself.
Karly Marx recorded 90 assists along with 16 digs, while Junior libero Haedyn Rhoades continued to get low for the Yellow Jackets as she recorded 44 digs to lead the team in the category.
 
Freshman Jayden Armstrong debuted in her collegiate career this weekend, serving in a pair of sets during Saturday's matchup against Chadron State.
 
Game One v. Chadron State (L, 3-2)
 
Set One (25-23): The Yellow Jackets started on top and remained ahead thanks to responsive scoring on offense, leading 7-4 before Chadron State would score four in a row to take their first lead of the set. Both teams continued to exchange scoring plays, leading to a 13-12 Chadron lead. The Eagles ran away to a 18-12 lead, but the Yellow Jackets went into three separate scoring series to tie the game back up at 20-all. Both teams scored their own three-score runs to raise the game score to 23-23, but Chadron made the final push needed to end the set.
 
Set Two (25-18): Both squads started the game with four lead changing sequences before Chadron State pulled ahead to a 6-4 lead. The Eagles would continue to hold the Yellow Jackets out of reach with continued responsive scoring, and a four-score run put the Eagles up 18-8. Although the Yellow Jackets continued to fight back, the Chadron State responses would keep them out of reach, giving the Eagles the second set.
 
Set Three (W, 25-18): The Yellow Jackets came alive in set three after starting with a 3-1 lead that expanded to 7-3 after scores notched by Cerrone, Hoopman, Aiyana Byrd, and Casey Widdoss. The Yellow Jackets continued to hold Chadron State at bay throughout the set on consistent offensive scoring and errors on the Eagle side of the court. Chadron State continued to score in an effort to climb back, but another error on the Eagles and scores from Byrd and Hoopman gave the Yellow Jackets set number three.
 
Set Four (W, 25-13): Both teams would start on each other's heels into an 8-all contest, but BHSU notched up four points off Eagles' errors and two kills from Renner and Cerrone to go to a 12-8 lead. The Yellow Jackets would continue to dominate the set, with the Yellow Jackets securing the set four victory after seven-score run would end the set, with Hoopman leading the way after raking in three service aces and a kill.  
 
Set Five (L, 18-15): Set five would begin with neck and neck scoring from the Yellow Jackets and the Eagles before the Yellow Jackets began to pull away to a 6-4 lead. The Yellow Jackets would climb to an 8-5 lead before Chadron State would score off three Yellow Jacket errors and a kill of their own, taking a lead at 9-8. The Yellow Jackets led 11-10, but two blocked plays from Chadron State in what turned into a four-score series would give the Eagles enough room to secure the match in the fifth set.

 
Game Two v. No. 19 Colorado Mines (L, 3-1)
 
Set One (L, 25-14): Colorado Mines would start hot on offense against the Yellow Jackets, notching on a four-score run early to take a 5-1 lead. The Orediggers would continue to keep the Yellow Jackets from climbing back into the set as the continued to put up multiple scoring series to take set one.
 
Set Two (L, 25-21): The Orediggers would put up a quick 4-1 lead over BHSU, with both teams then trading back and forth scores until the Yellow Jackets would explode off a six-score run to take the lead at 12-8. After two scores from the Orediggers, Hoopman responded with a pair of kills to keep the Yellow Jacket lead, but Colorado Mines would drum up two different three-score rallies to tie the game at 16-all. The rhythm found by the Orediggers was enough for them to keep their lead and take set two.
 
Set Three (W, 25-17): After a tightly contested beginning of set three which saw a 6-6 tie, the Yellow Jacket offense would notch on five in a row to go up 11-6. The Yellow Jackets would continue to flip the script on the Orediggers, matching scores to maintain the lead throughout the entire set. Colorado Mines only had a three-point series in set three as the Yellow Jackets would pour it on to take the set win, which forced a fourth set.
 
Set Four (L, 25-22): The Orediggers wasted no time taking an early 4-1 lead against the Yellow Jackets, but BHSU responded with a three-score run to tie the game back at 4-all. The Orediggers held a one-point lead throughout much of the set, but a pair of errors and a Colorado Mines service ace expanded the Oredigger lead to 17-13. Colorado Mines continued to lead, matching scores with the Yellow Jackets, but BHSU would gain momentum and record four kills in a row to tie the game 22-22. Due to two BHSU attacking errors, however, Colorado Mines would escape a fifth set against the Yellow Jackets.
 
Up Next:
Volleyball will have two games in the upcoming week, heading to Rapid City, S.D. to take on South Dakota Mines on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. The team will then head to Denver, Colo. to compete against Regis on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m.