SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University volleyball team returns home to A2 Arena for a single match this weekend on Saturday, October 26, after playing three straight on the road. The Yellow Jackets will host New Mexico Highlands for an 11 a.m. first serve on Senior Day as BHSU recognizes Abigail Renner and Brooke Miller for their time and dedication to the program.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Saturday, October 26 at 11 p.m.
Location: Spearfish, S.D. – A2 Arena
Promotions: First 100 students will receive a Green Bean Coffehouse & Blackbird Espresso gift card.
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the match-up with a 4-15 (0-9 RMAC) record after dropping a mid-week road contest at South Dakota Mines (3-0) on Tuesday night.
• In 2024 BHSU has hit .169 while averaging 11.7 kills, 10.7 assists, 1.6 aces, 16.7 digs, and 1.7 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .227 while averaging 13.8 kills, 12.1 assists, 1.6 aces, 18.2 digs, and 1.6 blocks per set.
• The lone two seniors, Brooke Miller and Abigail Renner, have led the Yellow Jacket attack this season, recording 200 and 181 kills respectively for averages of 3.23 and 2.59 kills per set. Additionally, Emily Freeland and Jaeda Davis-Golliher makes it four players who have reached triple digits in the stat category with 114 and 103 kills respectively, averaging 1.70 and 1.47 kills per set. In the RMAC, Miller ranks tenth 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 192 digs respectively for averages of 3.40 and 2.74 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 436 and 224 assists respectively with averages of 6.23 and 4.23 assists per set. Tuioti-Mariner has reached double digit assists in all 19 matches this year, including notching 30 or more on five occasions, while Atkinson has reached double digits in 14 of the last 15 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.
• Ellie Thomas leads the team with 307 digs (4.39 digs per set) and 24 service aces (0.34 aces per set) through 19 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 fifth in both total digs and service aces, and sixth in digs per set.
• A trio of BHSU athletes have made their presence known at the net with Randi Wellhoefer recording 62.0 blocks (0.91 blocks per set), while Davis-Golliher and Freeland have collected 33.0 blocks (0.47 blocks per set) and 31.0 blocks (0.46 blocks per set) respectively. Wellhoefer has recorded three or more blocks in four of the last five matches, and currently ranks sixth in the conference in total blocks and ninth in blocks per set.
• Bree Davis is in her third season as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets.

NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS STORYLINES

• New Mexico Highlands enters the mid-week match-up with a 4-14 (2-6 RMAC) record after dropping a pair of home matches against Fort Lewis (3-0) and Western Colorado (3-1).
• In 2024 NMHU has hit .117 while averaging 9.2 kills, 8.5 assists, 0.9 aces, 13.8 digs, and 1.5 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .232 while averaging 13.4 kills, 12.2 assists, 1.5 aces, 17.3 digs, and 1.8 blocks per set.
• Leading the Cowgirl attack is Angelina Burton with 156 kills, averaging 2.36 kills per set, while Jaylee Gonzales and Meg Pfannerstill have each added 135 and 109 kills respectively with averages of 2.11 and 1.65 kills per set. Burton has tallied double digit kills in seven contests, including a pair of 16-kill performances against Adams State and Western New Mexico.
• Abby Carlsen has paced the New Mexico Highlands offense, recording 365 assists while averaging 5.62 assists per set. She has notched double digit assists in nine consecutive matches, including 20 or more assists in the each of the last six outings. Carlsen is also the player to watch at the service line with 13 aces on the year, averaging 0.20 aces per set.
• Leading the Cowgirl defense in Olivia Archuleta, who has tallied 159 digs (2.74 digs per set), while Pfannerstill, Carlsen, and Gonzales have each added 149, 148, and 147 digs respectively with averages of 2.26, 2.28, and 2.30 digs per set respectively. Carlsen enters the weekend with back-to-back double digit dig performances against Fort Lewis and Western Colorado last weekend.
• The player to watch at the net for NMHU is Jada Lawson who has posted 54.0 blocks with an average of 0.82 blocks per set. She has recorded a block in 11 consecutive matches, which includes nine multi-block games.
• Meg Grose is in her first season as the head coach of the Cowgirls.

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday will mark the 12^th meeting between Black Hills State and New Mexico Highlands as RMAC opponents, with the Yellow Jackets holding the all-time series lead 7-4.
• The Cowgirls earned their second consecutive win in the series with a 3-0 win with set scores of 25-13, 25-20, and 25-22, in the John A. Wilson Complex in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on October 20, 2023.