SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University volleyball team will close out a 3-match road trip on Tuesday evening as they make the drive down I-90 for the second match-up of the year against rival South Dakota Mines. The Yellow Jackets look to even the season series and earn their second consecutive win in the King Center as they are set for a 7 p.m. first serve against the Hardrockers.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 22 at 7 p.m.
Location: Rapid City, S.D. – King Center
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the mid-week match-up with a 4-14 (0-8 RMAC) record after dropping a pair of road contests in the Denver metro area, falling to No. 2 MSU Denver (3-0) and Colorado School of Mines (3-0).
• In 2024 BHSU has hit .169 while averaging 11.7 kills, 10.8 assists, 1.6 aces, 16.7 digs, and 1.7 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .220 while averaging 13.6 kills, 12.0 assists, 1.6 aces, 18.2 digs, and 1.6 blocks per set.
• Brooke Miller and Abigail Renner lead the Yellow Jacket attack, recording 200 and 172 kills respectively for averages of 3.23 and 2.57 kills per set. Additionally, Emily Freeland makes it three players who have reached triple digits in the stat category with 109 kills with an average of 1.70 kills per set. In the RMAC, Miller ranks eighth in total kills and 11^th in kills per set.
• The pair of Miller and Renner have also been active on the BHSU defense, totaling 211 and 182 digs respectively for averages of 3.40 and 2.72 digs per set. With those numbers Miller has notched nine double-doubles, including three 10+ kill and 20+ dig contests, while Renner has collected four this season.
• The duo of Sydnie Tuioti-Mariner and Elena Atkinson have paced the BHSU offense throughout the season, tallying 420 and 214 assists respectively with averages of 6.27 and 4.28 assists per set. Tuioti-Mariner has reached double digit assists in all 18 matches this year, including notching 30 or more on five occasions, while Atkinson has reached double digits in 13 of the last 14 matches and reached the mark of 20 or more once when she tallied a career-high with 26 against Adams State. Additionally, Tuioti-Mariner ranks seventh in the RMAC in total assists and ninth assists per set, while Atkinson is 17^th in the league in assists per set.
• Ellie Thomas leads the team with 304 digs (4.54 digs per set) and 24 service aces (0.36 aces per set) through 18 matches this year. She set a new season-high mark of 30 digs against Adams State and has also reached 20 or more digs in six matches this season. Among the league leaders, she ranks third in total digs, fifth in digs per set and total service aces, and tenth in aces per set.
• A trio of BHSU athletes have made their presence known at the net with Randi Wellhoefer recording 62.0 blocks (0.95 blocks per set), while Jaeda Davis-Golliher and Freeland have collected 33.0 blocks (0.49 blocks per set) and 31.0 blocks (0.48 blocks per set) respectively. After recording a career-high of nine blocks against Fort Lewis, Wellhoefer has notched three or more blocks in four consecutive matches. Wellhoefer currently ranks sixth in the conference in total blocks and seventh in blocks per set.
• Bree Davis is in her third season as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets.

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES STORYLINES

• South Dakota Mines enters the mid-week match-up with a 10-7 (5-2 RMAC) record after splitting last weekend's contests in the Denver metro area, defeating Colorado School of Mines (3-2) before falling at No. 2 MSU Denver (3-0).
• In 2024 SDM has hit .209 while averaging 13.5 kills, 12.4 assists, 1.4 aces, 17.4 digs, and 1.8 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .203 while averaging 12.5 kills, 11.7 assists, 1.2 aces, 17.6 digs, and 2.3 blocks per set.
• Alessandra Meoni and Jenna Curtis leads the Hardrocker attack, totaling 259 and 183 kills respectively with averages of 3.98 and 3.05 kills per set. Meoni has notched double digit kills in 15 of this year's 17 matches played thus far, reaching 20 or more five times.  Additionally, Meoni ranks second in the RMAC in both total kills and kills per set.
• Kiley Metzger has paced the South Dakota Mines offense, dishing out 617 assists (9.49 assists per set) this year. She has recorded 50 or more assists on three occasions this year, and currently ranks fourth in the league in assists per set and is fifth in total assists.
• Hannah Benes is the player to watch at the service line for SDM as she has collected 39 aces (0.60 aces per set) during the 2024 season. She has tallied three or more aces in a match seven times this year. Benes currently leads the RMAC in total service aces and aces per set.
• As the libero, Benes is also the top defensive player on the team for South Dakota Mines, leading the Hardrockers with 300 digs (4.62 digs per set) this season. She has notched 20 or more digs in seven matches this year. Benes currently ranks fourth in the conference in digs per set and is sixth in total digs.
• The trio to watch at the net for SDM is Meoni, Kiera Walsh, and Annelise Larson, as they have recorded 47.0, 44.0, and 40.0 total blocks respectively for averages of 0.72, 0.83, and 0.63 blocks per set. Meoni has recorded two or more blocks in seven of the last eight matches. Additionally, Walsh ranks 13^th in the league in blocks per set, having recorded two or more blocks in six of the last seven matches she has appeared in.
• Lauren Prochazka is in her seventh season as the head coach of the Hardrockers. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2004 season, Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines have met 43 times on the court, with the Yellow Jackets holding a 30-13 advantage in the series.
• The Hardrockers won the first match-up this season earlier this month on October 3, inside A2 Arena in Spearfish with a 3-0 victory. SDM won by set scores of 25-15, 25-21, and 25-15.