CHADRON, Neb. – Black Hills State volleyball goes back to the road this weekend to take on South Dakota Mines and Chadron State on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m., respectively.
 
The matches between all three teams will be regional pod matchups and will take place over the weekend from CSC's Chicoine Center in Nebraska. Each game will be considered as non-conference contests, with the first game of the lineup taking place on Thursday, Sept. 28 with the Lady Hardrockers squaring off against the CSC Eagles.
 
The Yellow Jackets (4-8, 0-4 RMAC) are looking to snap a six-game losing streak which began with a nail-biting loss to UMary at the 2023 Yellow Jacket Classic. Most recently, BHSU hosted CSU Pueblo and Adams State last Friday and Saturday, dropping both matches.
 
Despite the struggles in the last few weeks, the Yellow Jacket ladies showed offensive prowess against the Grizzlies last Saturday.
 
Playing in her first game as a starter, six-foot freshman Izzy Saiki finished the match with 18 kills under her belt, with a team-leading .222 attack clip and a pair of service aces. Saiki was second on the team with 20 points and third in digs with 10.
 
Abigail Renner, who is still a top-five scorer in the RMAC with 152 total kills (3.23/set), regained her offensive rhythm against ASU as she tallied 21 kills and 22 total points, both of which were season-high numbers for the junior.
 
In the digs column, Haedyn Rhoades still leads both the team and the RMAC in digs (245 total, 5.21/set), aided by a hard-earned 18 she logged against ASU on Saturday night. In the NCAA Division II scene, Rhoades ranks 23^rd in the nation in digs per set and is tied for 17^th in total digs.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. SOUTH DAKOTA MINES  FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 // 6 P.M. // CHADRON, NEB. // CHICOINE CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats

 
The Lady Hardrockers (8-4, 2-2 RMAC), who were picked to finish eighth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, secured a weekend sweep last week against Adams State and CSU Pueblo. SDSMT swept the Grizzlies in straight sets on Friday night but went to war with the Thunderwoves on Saturday as the match was decided by a Hardrocker win in the fifth set, 15-12.
 
Alessandra Meoni is the leading offensive weapon for the Hardrockers as she leads the team with 145 total kills, a .335 hitting percentage, and 155 total points scored on the season. In the conference, Meoni is third with her total kills, seventh in hitting percentage, and third in points.

Sitting right behind Rhoades in the RMAC's dig leaderboard is sophomore libero Hannah Benes, who sits second in the conference with 207 total digs (5.05/set). Benes was a solid piece of the puzzle in her performance against the Thunderwolves last Saturday as she scooped up 20 digs and laid down a pair of service aces against CSUP. 
 
Dating back to 2004, BHSU holds a 29-11 record over SDSMT, including an 8-2 record in the last 10 matchups. In the last matchup between the rivaling squads, which occured last season on Sept. 20, the Yellow Jackets swept the Hardrockers in Rapid City.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. CHADRON STATE  FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 // 3 P.M. // CHADRON, NEB. // CHICOINE CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats

 
Entering the 2023 season, the Eagles were voted to finish 11^th in the RMAC Preseason Poll, completing last season with a 7-20 overall record and 4-10 against RMAC opponents. CSC (7-5, 3-1 RMAC), however, is off to a solid start in conference play thanks to success from the previous weekend.
 
CSC opened their home conference slate against Western Colorado on Friday night and Fort Lewis College on Saturday, and in similar fashion to SDSMT, they swept the Mountaineers on Friday before taking a hard-fought, 3-2 win over the FLC Skyhawks on Saturday evening.
 
Lexi Hurtado and Mayson Fago lead the offensive attack for the Eagles so far in 2023. Hurtado, a five-foot ten outside hitter, leads the team with 127 kills (2.95/set) on the season, which includes a season-high 20 that she threw down against Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 15.
 
Fago, a senior right side hitter, sits right behind her teammate with 123 on the season, which was boosted from a 16-kill performance against FLC, turning in a .234 clip that also included two solo blocks and four block assists.
 
CSC ranks third in the conference in blocks as they've averaged 2.09 per set in 2023, totaling 94 total blocks on the season. Leading the Eagles at the net is Bella Adams, who holds 44 total blocks to her name so far this season.
 
The Yellow Jackets and Eagles last faced off on the 2022 RMAC regular season finale on Nov. 5, in which BHSU secured a thrilling 3-2 victory that included a 9-2 deficit comeback in the fifth set.