Black Hills State hosted the first matchup of a three-day non-conference pod on Thursday night against the Western Colorado Mountaineers, with BHSU starting hot in the first two frames but falling to WCU, 3-1.
 
The Yellow Jackets (5-16, 0-11 RMAC) started the match hot on offense, putting together play in the first two sets that equated to a .312 and .353 attacking percentage in each frame. Through the first set, BHSU tallied six blocks, which tied for the fourth-highest total block count in one game on the season and surpassed the most recorded by BHSU in one set on the year.
 
Abigail Renner played a hardy match against the Mountaineers, putting up a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs on her stat line. She ended the match with three total blocks to cash out with 23 points.
 
Mianna Cardenas was effective in the Yellow Jackets' net defense as well, putting up 3.5 blocks on the night to lead the pack, along with a single kill on the night.
 
Haedyn Rhoades and Erin Weibel combined for 35 digs on the night, with Rhoades leading the duo and team with 24, while Weibel claimed 11. Hannah Lamon recorded all three BHSU service aces on the night, along with the team's remaining solo block and three assisted blocks.
 
Audrey Brgoch and Emily Freeland were the remaining Yellow Jackets with double-digit kills, with Brgoch throwing down 13 and Freeland recording 11. As a team, BHSU finished the night with a .216 attack percentage that included a game-high .353 clip in the second.
 
Set One (W, 25-22)
After an attack error from the Mountaineers gave BHSU the first strike in the match, two Freeland kills boosted the Yellow Jackets to a 6-2 run to start the opening frame.
 
WCU picked up the pace, however, shaking off the aggressive Yellow Jacket start with a 4-1 series of their own to draw the scoreboard closer, 11-9. A Freeland kill and another block from Cardenas and Freeland kept the Mountaineers out of reach, stretching BHSU's lead to four scores as both sides began to trade blows.
 
The Green N' Gold held above a .225 attack percentage and six blocks up to a 20-17 lead, continuing to keep the pressure on WCU until a Lamon service error and Mountaineer service ace drew set one to a 20-19 score in favor of the Yellow Jackets.
 
Though WCU continued to try and fight back into the set, the Yellow Jacket offense produced enough to take the first set by three, 25-22, ending on a pair of Brgoch spikes.
 
Set Two (L, 25-22)
BHSU took advantage of an early 5-1 run to secure a 6-3 lead to start the second frame, with WCU quickly regrouping and putting down a 5-0 burst to get back in front, 8-7.
 
A Renner kill and block, along with another Renner spike and service ace from Lamon, allowed BHSU to pull ahead once more to 12-10, with the Mountaineers putting up a pair of tying scores down the line to a 14-all scoreboard.
 
Though a pair of kills from Brgoch and a single point from Lamon lifted the Yellow Jackets to a three-point advantage, WCU knocked down a 6-2 run over BHSU to lead again, 20-19, forcing a Yellow Jacket timeout.
 
Both teams traded the proceeding four services out of the break, with WCU forcing another BHSU timeout after going up 24-22. Following a Freeland kill, the Mountaineers were able to finish the set on top by two.
 
Despite the dropped set point, BHSU played well, limiting themselves to three errors and maintaining a .353 team attack clip. 
 
Set Three (L, 26-24)
Starting even up to the first six services, a 5-1 run granted the Yellow Jackets a 7-4 lead. CMU pulled back into a one-point deficit, but BHSU continued to keep up the pressure with a pair of Renner kills and a Cardenas-Renner block, reinstating a four-point, 12-8 lead.
 
Another Cardenas kill sparked a small 4-2 series for the Yellow Jackets, forcing a WCU timeout and opening the gap to 16-11.
 
WCU, however, grew hot on a 7-2 run out of the timeout to slim the BHSU lead down to 21-19, this time forcing a timeout out of the Yellow Jackets. After stretching the run to 10-3 out of the break to knot the set up, another Renner point and Lamon service ace sent the third frame to a BHSU set point, 24-22.
 
Despite being pushed against the wall, WCU took advantage of two BHSU errors to put up a pair of points via kill and service ace to take the third set and the 2-1 match lead.
 
Set Four (L, 25-20)
Five tying scores and three lead changes started the fourth set, but BHSU notched four unanswered to take the first outright lead of the frame, 10-8. WCU did not waver, however, and recorded a 9-1 run to overtake the set with a 17-11 scoreboard. 
 
A service error on the Mountaineers and a solo block from Cardenas brought BHSU to face an 18-14 deficit with some momentum, but the Mountaineers were able to keep up with the Yellow Jacket advancement and ended the match on an even 8-8 series.
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets return to the Donald E. Young Center on Saturday, Oct. 28 for an 11 a.m., Halloween-themed match against Westminster. Costumes are encouraged and welcomed to the Donald E. Young Center for the game, with the BHSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosting a truck-or-treat event in the Donald E. Young Center Fieldhouse following the conclusion of the match.