MINOT, N.D.- Entering this tournament 0-4 the Black Hills State Yellow Jackets (2-4) bounced back and took both matches versus Brandon (CAN) Bobcats and UMary Marauders to get head coach Grayson DuBose his first win as Yellow Jackets head coach. The Yellow Jackets were able to beat the Bobcats in three sets while coming back from being down 2-1 versus UMary to win 3-2. Carsyn Mettler was the kill leader for BHSU, she led the Jackets with 25 kills over the two matches.
 
QUICK DETAILS GAME 1
Score: Black Hills State 3, Brandon (CAN) 0
Team Records: Black Hills State (1-4), Brandon (CAN) (0-1)
Attendance: 50
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Yellow Jackets started off the first set with a 6-2 lead. Brandon was able to close the lead to 6-4, before BHSU won eight of the next 11 points to take a 14-7 lead. The Bobcats won back-to-back points but the Yellow Jackets answered on a 5-1 run to take a 19-10 lead. Brandon took four of the next six points to make it 21-14, before BHSU went on a 4-1 streak to end the set with a kill from Emily Freeland to take a 1-0 lead.
• With the score tied at three, the Bobcats went on a 5-0 run to take a 8-3 lead. Jackets tried to close the gap by winning four of the next five to make it 9-7, and after some back and forth, the score was 13-12 before Brandon went on a 3-0 run to make it 16-12. The Yellow Jackets bounced back in a big way by winning 11 points in a row with three kills from Freeland, and two aces from Jaeda Davis-Golliher and to make it 23-16. A Freeland kill and a service error ended the set at 25-18 and gave BHSU a 2-0 lead.
• With the set tied at 5-5, Mettler would get three kills in the next four points to take a 8-6 lead. Brandon would answer back with a 5-0 run to take a 10-8 lead and after a point swap, the Yellow Jackets would win 11 of the next 13 points to take a 20-13 lead. After Brandon won a point on a kill to make it 20-14, the Green and Gold would win the next five points with Carson Mettler ending the match with a kill to give DuBose his first win as head coach of the Yellow Jackets.

 
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Carsyn Mettler: 10 kills, 3 digs, .563 hitting percentage
Ellie Thomas: 16 digs
Emily Freeland: 7 kills, 4 digs
 
QUICK DETAILS GAME 2
Score: Black Hills State 3, UMary 2
Team Records: Black Hills State (2-4), UMary (1-5)
Attendance: 50
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• UMary started the match with a 3-1 lead and then it went back and forth before UMary went on a 4-1 run to take a 10-6 lead. BHSU won eight of the next nine points to take a 13-11 lead. The Maruaders won seven of the next nine points to take an 18-15 lead. Mary would go on a 5-0 run to grab a 24-17 lead and then would win the set on a service error to take an early 1-0 lead.
• The second set was back and forth. UMary took the first lead, bigger than two points in the second, when they won three in a row to take a 9-7 lead. Yellow Jackets would answer with six of the next seven points to take a 13-10 lead with Freeland having four kills in the run. After some swapping points, UMary would win three in a row to tie it at 17. BHSU would win five of the next six points with three kills from three different girls and two aces from Zoie Husman to take a 23-18 lead. Judith Burke of the Marauders would answer back with two kills in a four-point run that got the gap down to 23-22 before the two newbies in Peyton McLeod and Izzy Abril got kills to end the set at 25-22 and tie up the match.
• The Jackets started this set off with a 6-2 lead after McLeod got a kill and a block on back-to-back points before the Marauders won eight in a row to get the lead back at 10-6 with three kills by Burke. The Green and Gold were able to tie it at 13 with the help of Davis-Golliher and Abril who had three kills in that stretch. Mary would win six of the next eight points to make it 19 to 15 before the Marauders would win six of the next nine to win 25-18 and take a 2-1 lead in the set.
• Mettler had two kills to begin the set as BHSU took an early 5-2 lead. Each team traded three point runs twice to make the score 12-11. They Yellow Jackets kept their 16-13 lead with a kill from Mettler before UMary went on a 5-0 run to take the lead for the first time this set at 18-16. BHSU tied it up off kills from Randi Wellhoefer and Mettler and the two teams traded points until it was 21-21. Mary would have three straight attack errors and Mettler would finish the set off with a kill to tie it up at 2-2 and send it to a fifth set.
• BHSU took all the momentum right away in the fifth set when grabbed a large 7-1 lead early with two kills from Freeland, a kill from Davis-Golliher, a kill from Abril, and two aces from Zoie Husman. Freeland would add two more kills to make it 9-2 and then her and Abril would add another to make it 12-3. Mettler got a kill to continue growing the lead at 13-4 before Mary's would get two kills in a 5-1 run to make the score 14-9. Mettler would finish off the comeback with a kill to with the fifth set 15-9.

 
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Carsyn Mettler: 15 kills, 4 digs
Emily Freeland: 12 kills, 8 digs
Izzy Abril: 11 kills, 4 digs
Ellie Thomas: 21 digs
Zoie Husman: 6 aces
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will finish up the 1^st International Bank Homecoming Classic with two matches versus home team Minot State and Canadian National Champions Manitoba Bisons.
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