SPEARFISH, S.D. – After stepping outside of RMAC play for a pair of non-conference matches last weekend, the Black Hills State University volleyball team returned to league play on Friday evening as they fell to Fort Lewis 3-1. The Skyhawks earned the road victory inside of A2 Arena with set scores of 23-25, 26-24, 25-22, and 25-20, as they rallied off three consecutive set wins after dropping the opening frame.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 1, Fort Lewis 3
Team Records: Black Hills State 4-11 (0-5 RMAC), Fort Lewis 6-9 (3-3 RMAC)
Attendance: 103
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Black Hills State closed a 4-1 run with an ace by Elena Atkinson to take a 6-4 lead early, however, Fort Lewis battled back with 6-2 run of their own to regain a 10-8 advantage. The teams then went back-and-forth throughout the middle of the set with the margin growing to no more than three points. After falling behind 21-20, the Yellow Jackets then closed out the opening set on a 5-2 run and won the frame as Brooke Miller sent down the kill to make it 25-23.
• Powered by a pair of kills by Miller and a double block by Miller and Randi Wellhoefer, Black Hills State jumped out to an early 5-3 lead in set two. Fort Lewis kept the frame close as they momentarily held a 7-6 lead, but the Yellow Jackets kept their foot on the gas as they continued to hold a 10-8 advantage as the frame went on. Following a Skyhawk timeout, FLC received a spark as a 6-0 scoring run gave them the largest lead of the match up to that point at 14-10. BHSU halted the momentum with three unanswered points, which included kills by Wellhoefer and Abigail Renner, but Fort Lewis answered right back with three unanswered points of the own to push the lead back to four points (17-13). An 11-5 scoring run for Black Hills State gave the Yellow Jackets a set point following a kill by Wellhoefer, however, they were unable to close it out as the Skyhawks ended the frame on a 4-0 scoring run to even the match at one apiece with a 26-24 victory.
• The momentum carried into set three as Fort Lewis jumped out an early 7-2 lead, but a kill by Carsyn Mettler halted the run and lit a spark for a 4-0 Black Hills State run to draw back within one point (7-6). The Skyhawks then had another response with a 5-0 scoring run to push the lead back out to six points (12-6). The Yellow Jackets once again began to claw back within striking distance as a kill by Jaeda Davis-Golliher started a 5-1 run that brought them within two points (13-11). After a back-and-forth middle portion of the frame, BHSU made one final push late as a block by Wellhoefer and Renner cut the deficit to 22-21, however, FLC kept their composure and took three of the last four points to earn a 25-22 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
• A kill by Mettler started what would be a back-and-forth beginning to set four before Fort Lewis put together the first scoring run with four unanswered points to take a 10-6 advantage. An ace by Atkinson evened the score at 14 apiece midway through the frame, however, BHSU would not be able to grab the lead back as FLC used a 6-1 lead to make it a 20-15 contest. Another late push by Black Hills State saw them claw back within three points (22-19) after another block by Wellhoefer and Renner, but the Skyhawks closed out the match with three of the next four points for a 25-20 victory
• Fort Lewis held the advantage in points (75.0-63.0), kills (61-46), aces (8-6), assists (53-41), and digs (74-64), while Black Hills State held the edge in blocks (11-6) 

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Brooke Miller: 12 kills (.273 attack percentage), 21 digs, 2 blocks
Ellie Thomas: 15 digs, 1 ace
Elena Atkinson: 23 assists, 7 digs, 4 aces
Randi Wellhoefer: 6 kills (.235 attack percentage), 9 blocks, 2 digs
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will conclude their 4-game homestand tomorrow afternoon when they host Western Colorado for a 5:30 p.m. first serve inside of A2 Arena.
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