Black Hills State volleyball hosted the No. 6 MSU Denver on Friday night, falling to the nationally-ranked Roadrunners in straight sets.
 
The Yellow Jackets (5-12, 0-7 RMAC) played tough against MSUD. They held their own in the second set, staying within striking distance for much of the frame.  
 
Though MSUD took an early lead in the third, the Yellow Jackets traded blows and even took a 4-0 run at the end courtesy of a hat-trick from Abigail Renner.
 
Renner took the leading charge for the BHSU offensive efforts against the Roadrunners, with the junior logging nine kills and two block assists to finish the game with 10 points. Emily Freeland was right behind her with seven kills and a dig on defense.
 
Randi Wellhoefer led from the net for the Yellow Jackets as she held a solo block and one block assist to lift the BHSU team total to 3 on the night.
 
Set One (L, 25-12)
MSUD took the lead early after a 1-1 start, riding on a 6-1 run before quick points from Freeland and a Roadrunner attack error inched the set closer at a 7-4 scoreboard.
 
The Roadrunners, however, continued to play aggressive offense as they stretched the lead to 16-5. Another push from BHSU hailing from a Wellhoefer-Renner block and a Cardenas kill later drew a 17-8 scoreboard.
 
The Yellow Jackets continued to put up points through the remainder of the set, but MSUD would move on with the first set point on the night.
 
Set Two (L, 25-17)
Kicking off the second frame was a 3-0 run from MSUD, but BHSU followed up with another Cardenas-Renner block and Freeland kill to be within one of the Roadrunners.
 
A kill from Freeland and a bad set from MSUD later pulled the Yellow Jackets within two, 7-5, as both teams scrapped back and forth until three-unanswered from the Roadrunners stretched the visitor's lead to 14-8.
 
Kills from Renner and Freeland kept BHSU within five, but another 4-1 run from the No. 6 Roadrunners widened the gap to 19-11. The Yellow Jackets refused to cave, however, tallying a 4-1 run of their own to force an MSUD timeout, back at a five-point deficit.
 
Out of the timeout, an unforced error from MSUD and a block from Wellhoefer continued to push BHSU closer, bridging the gap to 20-16.
 
Though BHSU fought until the final point, MSUD's pace was just quick enough to keep BHSU from building enough momentum to tie the set, taking the second frame with a 25-17 score.
 
Set Three (L, 25-13)
MSUD established a foothold early, taking the set to a 12-3 score early on from nine unanswered scores.
 
Though both teams traded blows through the remainder of the set, with Renner racking up a hat-trick in the final services, the earlier established lead was enough to give the Roadrunners the final set point needed to secure the match victory.
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets hit the Donald E. Young Center court again on Saturday, Oct. 14 for a 3 p.m. matchup against the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers.