SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University volleyball team will remain at home this weekend as they play their fifth and sixth consecutive matches inside of A2 Arena, hosting UC-Colorado Springs and Regis on Friday and Saturday during Swarm Days. The 2024 RMAC slate gets under way on Friday afternoon as the Yellow Jackets host the Mountain Lions for a 3 p.m. first serve, while BHSU will then turn around and face perennial league power Regis at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning.
 
GAME 1 DETAILS VS. UC-COLORADO SPRINGS
Date & Time: Friday, September 20 at 3 p.m.
Location: Spearfish, S.D. – A2 Arena
 
GAME 2 DETAILS VS. [RV] REGIS
Date & Time: Saturday, September 21 at 11 a.m.
Location: Spearfish, S.D. – A2 Arena
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the first week of RMAC play with a 4-4 record after going 1-3 in the Yellow Jacket Classic with a win over Minnesota Crookston (3-2) and losses to Montana State Billings (3-1), Eastern New Mexico (3-2), and Sioux Falls (3-0).
• The Yellow Jackets look to snap a 2-game losing streak in RMAC season-openers as they last went 1-0 in league play in 2021 with a sweep of South Dakota Mines.
• In 2024 BHSU has hit .176 while averaging 12.2 kills, 11.2 assists, 2.0 aces, 17.7 digs, and 1.5 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .193 while averaging 12.4 kills, 11.0 assists, 1.4 aces, 18.9 digs, and 1.6 blocks per set.
• Black Hills State currently ranks top-30 nationally in three statistical categories, ranking 16^th in team attacks per set (38.97), 24^th in digs per set (17.67), and 29^th in team digs (530). Individually, Brooke Miller leads the RMAC and ranks 49^th in DII in attacks per set (10.18).
• Miller is the first Yellow Jacket to reach triple digit kills in 2024, sitting at 100 with an average of 3.57 kills per set. Another attacker to watch is Abigail Renner who adds 81 kills with an average of 2.70 kills per set.
• The pair of Miller and Renner has also been active on the BHSU defense, totaling 95 and 81 digs respectively for averages of 3.39 and 2.70 per set. Renner notched a career-high of 27 digs in last weekend's 5-set win over UMC. Miller has notched four double-doubles while Renner has recorded two.
• Sydnie Tuioti-Mariner leads BHSU with 200 assists (6.67 assists per set). Since becoming the first Yellow Jacket to begin a season with three consecutive double-doubles since 2015, she has added two more for a total of five on the year.
• A second setter to watch is Elena Atkinson who has totaled 87 assists, averaging 3.95 assists per set, and has reached double figure assists in six consecutive matches.
• Ellie Thomas leads the team with 126 digs (4.20 digs per set) to go along with 15 service aces (0.05 aces per set). She has reached double digit digs on six occasions and has notched 20 or more twice.
• A trio of BHSU athletes have made their presence known at the net with Randi Wellhoefer recording 20.0 blocks (0.67 blocks per set), while both Emily Freeland and Jaeda Davis-Golliher each collecting 18.0 total blocks (0.60 blocks per set).
• Bree Davis is in her third season as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets.

UC-COLORADO SPRINGS STORYLINES

• UC-Colorado Springs enters RMAC play with a 5-3 record after posting a 1-3 mark at last weekend's FHSU Tiger Classic, defeating Truman State (3-2) but losing to Northwestern Oklahoma State (3-1), Fort Hays State (3-0), and Emporia State (3-0).
• Following an 8-18 (6-8 RMAC) record in 2023 that resulted in a tie for tenth place in the league, the Mountain Lions were tabbed 11^th in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• In 2024 UCCS has hit .199 while averaging 12.8 kills, 11.4 assists, 1.8 aces, 15.4 digs, and 1.7 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .185 while averaging 12.0 kills, 10.8 assists, 1.2 aces, 15.5 digs, and 2.5 blocks per set.
• A pair of freshmen Mountain Lions have tallied triple digit kills to lead the team as Emily Pruitt has notched 113 kills (3.65 kills per set) and Payton Tompkins has recorded 101 kills (3.26 kills per set).
• Pruitt has recorded 20 or more kills twice and has a pair of double-doubles in 2024, while Tompkins has reached double digit kills five times and has four double-doubles.
• There are a pair of setters that pace the UCCS offense as Maylen Mitrovich has collected 198 assists (6.39 assists per set) and Audrey Dowd has posted 106 assists (6.63 assists per set). Mitrovich and Dowd have recorded three and one double-doubles respectively.
• Additionally, Mitrovich is one of two Mountain Lions to reach double figures in service aces this year with ten (0.32 aces per set), while Sydnee Walker leads the team with 12 (0.43 aces per set) on the year.
• A defensive specialist/libero, Mackenzie Ransom leads the UCCS defense with 82 digs (3.90 digs per set) while Tompkins adds 80 digs (2.58 digs per set) in 2024.
• Avery Ahlers is the player to watch for at the net for UC-Colorado Springs as she has recorded 24.0 blocks (0.80 blocks per set).
• Tara Hittle is in her third season as the head coach of the Mountain Lions.

SERIES HISTORY

• Black Hills State and UC-Colorado Springs will meet on the court for the 17^th time as RMAC opponents, with the Mountain Lions holding a 13-3 advantage in the series.
• UCCS won their third straight match in the series with a 3-1 win in their last meeting on September 15, 2023, in the Gallogly Events Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Mountain Lions won by set scores of 25-16, 25-10, 21-25, and 25-23. 

[RV] REGIS STORYLINES

• Regis enters RMAC play with a 2-6 record after posting a 1-3 mark at last weekend's Colorado Premier Challenge, defeating No. 4 Missouri-St. Louis (3-1) but losing to No. 9 West Texas A&M (3-1), No. 23 Lewis (3-1), and No. 2 Wayne State (3-0).
• The Rangers have faced off against five nationally-ranked opponents in the early portion of the 2024 season, posting a 1-4 record against top-25 competition.
• Following a 23-7 (12-2 RMAC) record in 2023 that resulted in a tie for second place in the league, the Rangers were tabbed third in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• RU fell out of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll this week, but still remains receiving votes nationally.
• Regis qualified for their fourth consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament a year ago, earning the No. 2 seed in the South Central Region where they were upset by No. 7 Angelo State by a score of 3-2 in the first round.
• In 2024 RU has hit .229 while averaging 13.2 kills, 12.4 assists, 1.1 aces, 13.9 digs, and 2.4 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .214 while averaging 12.8 kills, 11.7 assists, 2.0 aces, 13.7 digs, and 2.0 blocks per set.
• Offensively, Halle Theis is the top player to watch for Regis as she has totaled 80 kills (2.96 kills per set). She has recorded double digit kills on four occasions and has twice notched a double-double.
• Pacing the Ranger offense is one of the top setters in the country, Reagan Hickey, who is 35^th nationally with 290 total assists and 19^th nationally with 10.74 assists per set. The freshman has recorded 30 or more assists in seven matches and has twice reached the 40 mark.
• Braiziah Dixon leads RU at the service line with seven aces (0.32 aces per set).
• At defensive specialist, Bre Skala leads the Ranger defense with 131 digs (4.85 digs per set) through eight matches this season. She ranks 42^nd nationally in digs per set and is 62^nd in total digs. She has recorded 20 or more digs three times this season.
• The player to watch at the net for Regis is Amelia Davis, who has tallied 36.0 blocks (1.33 blocks per set). She ranks 22^nd nationally in total blocks and is 24^th in blocks per set.
• Joel List is in his eighth season as the head coach of the Rangers.

SERIES HISTORY

• Black Hills State and Regis will meet on the court for the 23^rd time since the 2011 season, with the Rangers holding a 21-1 advantage in the series.
• RU won their 16^th straight match in the series with a 3-0 win in their last meeting on September 16, 2023, in the Regis University Fieldhouse in Denver, Colorado. The Rangers won by set scores of 25-17, 25-15, and 25-3.