SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University volleyball team will travel for their first pair of league games away from A2 Arena this weekend when they visit CSU Pueblo and Adams State on Friday, September 27, and Saturday, September 28, respectively. The Yellow Jackets and ThunderWolves are slated for a 7 p.m. first serve in Massari Arena while BHSU's match-up with ASU is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start in Plachy Hall.
 
GAME 1 DETAILS AT CSU PUEBLO
Date & Time: Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m.
Location: Pueblo, Colo. – Massari Arena
 
GAME 2 DETAILS AT ADAMS STATE
Date & Time: Saturday, September 28 at 6 p.m.
Location: Alamosa, Colo. – Plachy Hall
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters this week's road contests with a 4-6 (0-2 RMAC) record after dropping a pair of league games to UCCS (3-1) and Regis (3-1) in A2 Arena last weekend.
• In 2024 BHSU has hit .179 while averaging 12.5 kills, 11.4 assists, 1.9 aces, 18.1 digs, and 1.6 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .202 while averaging 12.7 kills, 11.2 assists, 1.6 aces, 18.9 digs, and 1.7 blocks per set.
• Black Hills State currently ranks top-20 nationally in two statistical categories, ranking 11^th in team attacks per set (39.32) and 18^th in digs per set (18.11).
• Brooke Miller and Abigail Renner lead the Yellow Jacket attack, recording 130 and 109 kills respectively for averages of 3.61 and 2.87 kills per set. In the RMAC, Miller ranks fourth in kills per set and is fifth in total kills, while Renner is 12^th in total kills and 19^th in kills per set. In last weekend's match against Regis, Miller tied a career-high of 17 kills in the 4-set contest.
• The pair of Miller and Renner has also been active on the BHSU defense, totaling 129 and 107 digs respectively for averages of 3.58 and 2.82 digs per set.
• The duo of Sydnie Tuioti-Mariner and Elena Atkinson have paced the BHSU offense throughout the season, tallying 271 and 101 assists respectively with averages of 7.13 and 4.04 assists per set. Tuioti-Mariner set a new season-high of 39 assists in Saturday's match against the Rangers, marking the fourth time this season she has notched 30 or more in a match. Additionally, Tuioti-Mariner ranks seventh in the RMAC in total assists and is eighth in assists per set.
• Ellie Thomas leads the team with 169 digs (4.45 digs per set) and 15 service aces (0.39 aces per set) through ten matches this year. With 22 and 21 digs respectively against UCCS and RU during the Swarm Days weekend, she has collected 20 or more digs in four of BHSU's last five match-ups. Among the league leaders, she ranks fourth in total digs, sixth in digs per set, sixth in aces, and 12^th in aces per set.
• A trio of BHSU athletes have made their presence known at the net with Randi Wellhoefer recording 26.0 blocks (0.72 blocks per set), Jaeda Davis-Golliher notching 22.0 blocks (0.58 blocks per set), and Emily Freeland collecting 21.0 blocks (0.55 blocks per set). Wellhoefer tied a career-high of six blocks in Friday's match against UCCS, and Freeland's consistency has resulted in her recording a block in nine of this season's ten matches.
• Bree Davis is in her third season as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets.

CSU PUEBLO STORYLINES

• CSU Pueblo enters this week's contests with a 7-3 (2-0 RMAC) record after defeating New Mexico Highlands (3-0) and Adams State (3-1) to begin league play.
• In 2024 CSUP has hit .227 while averaging 12.9 kills, 11.5 assists, 2.0 aces, 15.4 digs, and 1.9 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .181 while averaging 11.9 kills, 10.7 assists, 1.5 aces, 15.1 digs, and 1.4 blocks per set.
• Sadie Scoville leads the ThunderWolves attack, tallying 133 kills for an average of 3.91 kills per set. She ranks third in the RMAC and 36^th nationally in kills per set, while ranking fourth and 83^rd respectively in total kills. She has reached double figures in kills in eight out of CSUP's ten matches this year.
• The pair of Hallie Hewlett and Sabrina King pace the CSU Pueblo offense, recording 176 and 145 assists for averages of 5.18 and 4.83 assists per set respectively. Hewlett ranks 12 in the league in assists per set and is 13^th in total assists. With 23 assists against Adams State on Saturday, Hewlett has now notched 20 or more assists in three consecutive matches.
• Additionally, Hewlett is the player to watch at the service line, collecting a team-high 15 service aces with an average of 0.44 aces per set. She ranks sixth in the conference in total aces and is seventh in aces per set.
• Highlighting the ThunderWolves defense are Maddox Richtmyre and Scoville who lead the team with 94 digs apiece, both averaging 2.76 digs per set. Scoville has collected double digit digs in four of the last five matches for CSUP.
• The pair of Macy Wood and Josey Nunn have lead CSU Pueblo at the net, recording 25.0 and 24.0 blocks, averaging 0.96 and 1.00 blocks per set respectively. The duo has tallied a block in all eight matches that each of them have played posting season-highs of six for Wood and five for Nunn. Nunn ranks seventh in the RMAC in blocks per set while Wood is eighth.
• Austin Albers is in his sixth season as the head coach of the ThunderWolves. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Black Hills State and CSU Pueblo will meet on the court for the 15^th time as RMAC opponents, with the ThunderWolves holding a 10-4 advantage in the series.
• CSUP won their sixth straight match in the series in the last meeting on September 22, 2023, winning 3-0 with set scores of 25-21, 25-21, and 25-9 inside of A2 Arena in Spearfish.

ADAMS STATE STORYLINES

• Adams State enters this week's contests with a 2-9 (0-2 RMAC) record after falling to New Mexico Highlands (3-2) and CSU Pueblo (3-1) during the opening weekend of league play.
• In 2024 ASU has hit .136 while averaging 11.7 kills, 11.0 assists, 0.9 aces, 16.1 digs, and 1.5 blocks per set. On the other hand, their opponents have hit .180 while averaging 11.8 kills, 11.2 assists, 1.5 aces, 15.9 digs, and 2.4 blocks per set.
• The top player to watch on the offensive attack for the Grizzlies is Anna Huggins, who has tallied 128 kills with an average of 3.20 kills per set. She currently ranks sixth in the RMAC in total kills and 11^th in kills per set. Huggins has recorded double digit kills in nine of this season's 11 matches, including setting a season-high of 21 this last weekend against NMHU.
• Pacing the Adams State offense is Remi Vargas who has collected 160 assists, averaging 4.44 assists per set. She ranks 14^th in the league in total assists and is 16^th in assists per set. Vargas has notched 15 or more assists in five games this year.
• The pair of Peyton Priddy and Keely-Shae Sapiga lead the Grizzlies at the service line as each have posted six aces during the 2024 season.
• ASU is led by Sapiga and Sierra Leone Sanchez on the defense, as they have notched 119 and 117 digs, averaging 2.98 and 2.93 digs per set respectively. They rank 13^th and 14^th in the RMAC in total digs.
• Katie Bauer is the player to watch for at the net for Adams State, totaling 27.0 blocks with an average of 0.68 blocks per set. She ranks 12^th in the league in total blocks and has recorded a season-high of four on five occasions this year.
• Garcia Ramser is in his first season as the head coach of the Grizzlies.

SERIES HISTORY

• Black Hills State and Adams State will meet on the court for the 13^th time as RMAC opponents, with the Grizzlies holding a 9-3 advantage in the series.
• ASU won their second straight in the series in the most recent meeting on September 23 in Spearfish, as the Grizzlies earned a 3-1 victory with set scores of 25-23, 25-23, 18-25, and 25-17 in A2 Arena.