DURANGO, Colo. – Black Hills State volleyball kicked off the weekend from Durango on Friday night against Fort Lewis College, dropping the match to the Skyhawks in straight sets.
 
Leading the Yellow Jackets (5-10, 0-5 RMAC) on offense was Emily Freeland, who secured 11 kills and a blocking assist to cash out with 11.5 points. Abigail Renner was next with seven kills of her own on offense while leading the defense with a solo block and three block assists, bringing the junior to 9.5 points against FLC.
 
Hannah Lamon claimed one of two total service aces on the night while logging 19 assists, with Haedyn Rhoades recording the second ace on the night, pairing that with 12 digs and a pair of assists in her performance.
 
Set One (L, 25-11)
After both teams slugged their way to a 2-2 start, the Skyhawks recorded a 5-0 run to take the lead in the first frame. Following a Freeman kill and Skyhawk attack error, FLC scored nine unanswered points to lead 16-4.
 
Freeland and Renner scored six more points each down the stretch, but FLC stayed ahead with multiple scoring bursts and took the set by 14.
 
Set Two (L, 25-16)
BHSU jumped out in front to start the second set, 3-2, off a pair of Mianna Cardenas kills and a team-block from Renner and Cardenas, but the Skyhawks ran another 6-0 series to regain the 8-3 scoreboard advantage, eventually stretching to eight unanswered to lead by seven.
 
A blocking point from Ceylin Kizilkaya and Freeland paired with two Freeland spikes to put the Yellow Jackets within five, 16-11, but a 6-2 FLC run kept BHSU out of reach. Despite a 4-2 push orchestrated by kills from Renner and Alyson Louderback, the Skyhawks went on to take the second by nine.
 
Set Three (L, 25-14)
Freeland kicked off the third frame with a kill to put BHSU on the board first, but a 6-1 run from FLC gave the Skyhawks a 6-2 lead shortly after.
 
Both teams traded small runs to a 15-7 score in favor of FLC, but two more blocking points and a Lamon service ace helped pull BHSU back to a five-point deficit, 16-11.
 
The Skyhawks, however, matched the Yellow Jacket defensive effort with a pair of kills and a block of their own to stretch back to a nine-point lead, later ending the match on top by 11.

Up Next
The Yellow Jackets return to the floor on Saturday, Oct. 7 for a match against Western Colorado at 5 p.m. from Gunnison, Colorado.