Black Hills State volleyball hosted their second RMAC home match of the season on Saturday night against the Adams State Grizzlies, falling to ASU 3-1.
 
Though BHSU only secured one set in the contest, sets one and two were decided by only two points. BHSU tallied a .235 attack percentage in the first and a .263 in their set three victories, with the Yellow Jackets leading the matchup with 60 team kills versus ASU's 46.
 
Playing in her first game as a starter, six-foot freshman Izzy Saiki finished the contest with 18 kills under her belt, with a team-leading .222 attack clip and a pair of service aces. The outside hitter/defensive specialist was second on the team with 20 points and third in digs with 10.
 
Abigail Renner regained her offensive rhythm against the Grizzlies, with the junior recording season-highs of 21 kills and 22 points in the bout. She held the only BHSU block solo and was second on the team in digs with 11.
 
Emily Freeland also played well on offense, securing 17 kills, an assist, and 18 total points while securing two block assists on defense. Randi Wellhoefer claimed the other pair of assisted blocks, with the junior transfer also adding a few kills to her stat sheet.
 
Haedyn Rhoades continued to showcase her abilities on the floor, getting low to scoop 18 digs to lead the Yellow Jackets on the night. Rhoades also claimed the remaining two Yellow Jacket service aces.
 
Set One (L, 25-23)
Game two of the weekend started with a two-point lead for the Yellow Jackets but an ASU scoring run saw the Grizzlies jump to a 5-3 lead and later a 10-5 advantage on another four unanswered.
 
Though both teams went back and forth which allowed ASU to hold on to their four-point gap, kills from Saiki, Wellhoefer, and Renner brought the Yellow Jackets within two, 16-14. The Grizzlies held on to the lead heading into the final services of the set, but a 5-1 run headlined by three Freeland kills locked the set at 22-all.
 
ASU, however, held on long enough to slip out of set one with the go-ahead 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Set Two (L, 25-23)
BHSU opened the second set with a 5-1 lead to start that saw three different Yellow Jackets record kills. Securing another three more points, BHSU stretched the lead to 8-1 before the Grizzlies began to fight back. The Grizzlies eventually tallied four in a row to force a BHSU timeout at a 9-7 scoreboard in favor of the Yellow Jackets.
 
Out of the break, both teams continued to trade serves until a blocking score from ASU tied the game at 12-12. Both teams traded the lead three times up to 16-16 points from ASU, where the Grizzlies tacked on a 5-1 run to take a 20-17 lead.
 
BHSU turned up the heat, however, as Saiki scored three in a row on a kill and a pair of service aces to bring in another 20-20 tie.
 
Though BHSU kept it close to the end, ASU once again slipped through to take another victory in slim margins.
 
Set Three (W 25-18)
BHSU was able to break out on a 6-2 lead entering the third set courtesy of kills from Freeland and Saiki, who made up four of the six points for the Yellow Jackets.
 
Though ASU began to strike back, Renner slammed three consecutive kills down the ASU court, which paired with clever net play from Wellhoefer to keep BHSU at a comfortable 14-6 lead.
 
A late Grizzly attack saw ASU record a 6-2 series, but BHSU regained their footing after notching five unanswered scores, which allowed Renner to slam the door on ASU to force the fourth set.  
 
Set Four (L, 25-17)
Frame four started on even legging as both sides exchanged points through the first ten services, locking the scoreboard at five a-piece. Breaking the back-and-forth scoring was ASU, who secured an 8-2 series to take the outright lead, 12-7.
 
Following a BHSU timeout, the Grizzlies continued to push as they widened their lead on another 5-2 series, leaving a 17-9 set four score that led to another BHSU timeout.
 
The Yellow Jackets continued to inch their way back into the game as they drew up a 4-1 series to bring the game within seven, 22-15, but BHSU could not keep the momentum up and ASU went on to secure the match point.
 
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets take off for Rapid City on Friday, Sept. 29 for a non-conference matchup against the rivaling South Dakota Mines, with the first serve slated for 6 p.m.