Black Hills State women's volleyball is set to host their first RMAC home games of the season this weekend, bringing in CSU Pueblo on Friday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. before hosting Adams State on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m.
 
The Yellow Jackets (4-6, 0-2 RMAC) are looking to return home to bounce back from a pair of losses in a tough road schedule the previous week. Last Friday, BHSU traveled down to Colorado Springs to open RMAC play against the UCCS Mountain Lions, nearly forcing a fifth set in their 3-1 loss.
 
In a tough road test, the Yellow Jackets then traveled to Denver to take on the ranked No. 16 Regis Rangers on Saturday, Sept. 16. Despite putting up a fight in the first two sets, BHSU dropped the match to the nationally ranked Regis in straight sets.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. CSU PUEBLO  FRIDAY, SEPT. 22 // 6 P.M. // SPEARFISH, S.D. // DONALD E. YOUNG CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats

 
The CSUP Thuderwovles (3-7, 2-0 RMAC) played in their second RMAC showdown of the season against Adams State on Tuesday, Sept. 19, swiftly defeating the Adams State Grizzlies in straight sets.
 
CSUP opened their RMAC season last Friday, Sept. 15 down in Las Vegas, New Mexico against N.M. Highlands, defeating the Cowgirls in straight sets to open the RMAC regular season 1-0.
 
Following Tuesday night's matchup against ASU, CSUP currently seeds at number five in the conference with their undefeated record.

Their heavy offensive attack, led by outside hitters Payton Van Veen and Sadie Scoville, ranks fifth in points (600.5, 16.23/set) and fourth in hitting percentage (.233) in the RMAC.
 
The Thunderwolves are also second in service aces in the conference with 71 total aces on the season (1.92/set), led behind the service line by Grace Jansen (16), Sabrina King (16), and Scoville (14).
 
Since 2012, the Thunderwolves have held a 9-4 record over the Yellow Jackets, with their last meeting on Oct. 29 of the 2022 season ending in a CSUP win.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. ADAMS STATE  FRIDAY, SEPT. 23 // 3 P.M. // SPEARFISH, S.D. // DONALD E. YOUNG CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats

 
Mirroring the start of CSU Pueblo's season, the Adams State Grizzlies (2-8, 1-1 RMAC) opened RMAC play with a victory over NMHU in straight sets before falling to the Thunderwolves in straight sets in their second conference matchup.
 
The Grizzlies entered week three of the season ranking within the top five of the RMAC thanks to effective net play from middle blockers Natalie Gallegos, Katie Bauer, and Laren Baldowsky. Gallegos, a 6'2" redshirt junior, leads the Grizzlies with 28 total blocks on the season and 0.93 blocks per set.
 
The loaded defensive front carried ASU into the top three in the RMAC in blocks, with the team averaging 2.03 blocks per set and reigning in 98 total blocks on the season. In their first win of the season, which came on Sept. 2 against East Central, ASU blocked a season-high ten times.
 
Dating back to 2012, ASU holds an 8-3 record over BHSU, with the last meeting between both squads resulting in a hard-fought, 3-2 victory for the Grizzlies.
 
Notes

• Haedyn Rhoades still leads the RMAC through week three in the dig column, with the senior libero totaling 218 total digs on the season and averaging 5.45 per set. On the national level, Rhoades' set average puts her in the top 20 while her 218 total digs rank her in the top 10 in NCAA DII. 
• Abigail Renner currently ranks 10^th in the conference in kills with 125 tallied kills on the season (3.13/set). Renner is also a top-ten player in points scored in the RMAC, with the junior holding 142 points so far in 2023 (3.55/set).
• Audrey Brgoch has also proven to be a striker for the Yellow Jacket offense as she sits 15^th in the RMAC in kills (115 total, 2.88/set), 11^th in service aces (16 total, 0.40/set), and 15^th in points (134.5 total, 3.36/set).
• Leading BHSU in both assists and from behind the service line, Hannah Lamon ranks sixth in the conference in service aces (18 total, 0.45/set) and eighth in assists (363 total, 9.08/set). Her .908 clip also ranks Lamon 62^nd in NCAA DII in assists/set.

This weekend's volleyball matches will be celebrating Summer Camp Reunion. All returning volleyball campers who wear their camp t-shirts to the game will receive free admission to both games and will be recognized on the floor. 

Friday Night's game against CSU Pueblo will be a pajama-themed night, so fans and students are encouraged to wear pajamas to the Donald E. Young Center for the match. 

Saturday afternoon will be a camouflage-themed event, so fans and students are welcome to wear their favorite camo-inspired gear to the game.