DURANGO, Colo. | Gunnison, Colo. – Black Hills State volleyball will hit the second leg of their four-game road stretch of the 2023 season this weekend, with matchups on deck against Fort Lewis College and Western Colorado University.
 
On Friday, Oct. 6, the Yellow Jackets will face off against the FLC Skyhawks at 6 p.m. from Durango, Colorado. Saturday, Oct. 7 will then see BHSU head up to Gunnison where they will visit the Western Colorado Mountaineers for a 5 p.m. matchup.
 
The Yellow Jackets (5-9, 0-4 RMAC) will head back into RMAC play from a split weekend at Chadron State's non-conference pod matchups, which saw BHSU beat South Dakota Mines last Friday, 3-2, before dropping a match against Chadron State last Saturday in straight sets.
 
Through week five of the RMAC regular season, senior Haedyn Rhoades, who surpassed 2,000 career digs over the previous weekend, continues to lead the RMAC in digs and digs per set, averaging 5.20 digs per frame and claiming 286 total digs on the season. In NCAA Division II, Rhoades' dig average lands her 23^rd in the nation while her total dig count in 2023 ranks in a tie for 25^th.
 
In the corner for the Yellow Jacket attack, Abigail Renner still stands as the top scorer for the Yellow Jackets as she ranks sixth in the conference in kills per set (3.11, 171 total kills) and seventh in points per frame (3.53). Emily Freeland (140 kills, 2.55/set, .171 hitting percentage) and Audrey Brgoch (133 kills, 2.61/set, .169 hitting percentage) are also lethal attackers for the Yellow Jackets.
 
Senior setter Hannah Lamon will be key for coordinating plays as she ranks 8^th in the RMAC in assists (459, 8.35/set). Also dangerous from the service line, Lamon is 13^th in the conference with 21 aces on the season, averaging 0.38 per set.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. Fort Lewis  FRIDAY, OCT. 6 // 6 P.M. // DURANGO, COLO. // WHALEN GYMNASIUM Live Stream / Live Stats

 
The Fort Lewis Skyhawks (6-8, 1-3 RMAC) will be home for the first time in two weeks, having recently picked up big wins over Adams State and New Mexico Highlands last weekend in non-conference bouts. They swiftly defeated both opponents, only allowing one earned set-point to the Grizzlies last Friday before they shut out the Cowgirls on Saturday.
 
Prior to the non-conference matchups, FLC opened their RMAC slate at home against Westminster University and defeated the Griffins, 3-1. Their next three RMAC games, however, provided opposite results they dropped their next two matches against the then No. 12 Colorado Mesa, and Colorado Christian in straight sets before falling to Chadron State in five sets on Sept. 23.
 
Though the Skyhawks are a middle-of-the-pack team in most stat categories, they have allowed the fifth-lowest opponent hitting percentage so far in 2023, led by the efforts of Sarah Wilkey, who leads the team with an average of 3.77 digs per set and 196 total on the season.
 
Alexis Hobie will be another player to watch out for as she is a top-five scorer in the conference. Hobie, a 6'2" outside hitter, averages 3.33 kills per frame and holds 143 total kills on the season, along with 156.5 points (3.64/set) so far in 2023.
 
In the Yellow Jackets' DII era, FLC holds a 7-4 record over BHSU, with the last match between these two squads resulting in a 3-1 victory for the Skyhawks.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. WESTERN COLORADO  SATURDAY, OCT. 7 // 5 P.M. // GUNNISON, COLO. // PAUL WRIGHT GYM Live Stream / Live Stats

 
The Mountaineers (2-13, 0-5 RMAC) return home following a tough set of tough losses on the road. Playing in a non-conference pod from Grand Junction, Colorado, WCU fell to the No. 11 Colorado Mesa in straight sets before dropping their second matchup against Westminster University, 3-1.
 
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, they then traveled to Rapid City to take on South Dakota Mines, once again falling to a 3-1 scoreboard in favor of the Hardrockers.
 
Returning home for the first time since Sept. 16, the Mountaineers are looking to notch their first conference victory of the season and their third win overall. The only pair of games WCU finished as the victors were from the beginning of the season. They picked up wins over Eastern New Mexico (3-2) and the University of Western Alabama (3-1) at the Midwestern State (Texas) Invitational at the beginning of September.
 
WCU, however, has a top-five hitter in the RMAC in Seyun Park, who ranks sixth in the conference with a .351 clip and 137 total kills on the season. Maggie Olson, the Mountaineers 5'10" outside hitter, leads the team with 144 total kills. Both players led the team last week as Park recorded 22 kills against Westminster and SDSMT while Olson led with 25 of her own.
Since October of 2012, the Yellow Jackets hold a 7-4 record over Western Colorado, with last season's matchup in Spearfish resulting in a 3-1 victory for BHSU.