DURANGO, Colo.- The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets kept the first two sets very close but were unable to capitalize and fell 3-0 to the Fort Lewis Skyhawks in the conference opener. Ellie Thomas was elite defensively with 21 digs in the first two sets, and the BHSU outblocked FLC 10-3 before ultimately falling.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 0, Fort Lewis 3
Team Records: Black Hills State (3-6 (0-1 RMAC)), Fort Lewis (7-1 (1-0 RMAC))
Attendance: 356
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Skyhawks went on the first run of the game right away taking an 8-3 lead with Izzy Abril getting the first kill of RMAC play for the Jackets. The two teams started trading points with Mianna Cardenas, Carsyn Mettler, and Jaeda Davis-Golliher each getting kills to keep the lead within four at 13-9. After FLC went up six, Mettler and Emily Freeland each got a kill to bring it back to four before FLC won two in a row to grow it back to six at 17-11. After more points being swapped, Randi Wellhoefer would get a kill to get the lead back to four at 19-15 before the Skyhawks won four of the next six points to make it 23-17. BHSU would get two kills from Cardenas and Abril in a 3-0 run to make it 23-20, which was the closest the set had been since it was 4-1, before two Yellow Jacket attack errors ended the set at 25-20.
• Fort Lewis started out on a 3-0 run in the second set before BHSU got three in a row to tie it back up with a kill from Abril and a block by Davis-Golliher and Wellhoefer. FLC would go on a 5-2 run to take a 8-5 lead early on. After trading some points, the Yellow Jackets were able to get it all back and tie it up at 12 with a kill by Abril and a block by Freeland. After a couple 2-0 runs by each team, Fort Lewis led 15-14 before BHSU went on a 7-1 run to take a massive 21-16 lead. This run included an ace by Elena Atkinson and two kills from Freeland and Cardenas. The Skyhawks halted the BHSU momentum by going on a 8-0 run to take a 24-21 lead that included five kills from four different players and three Yellow Jacket attack errors. Wellhoefer would get another kill, but FLC would end the set with a kill of their own to make it 25-22 and 2-0 lead.
• The Skyhawks kept the momentum going into the third with a 4-1 run to start it. BHSU brought it back to 4-5 with kills from Peyton McLeod and Davis-Golliher and then each team would go on a 4-1 run to make it 10-9 with FLC holding the slight lead. The Skyhawks got a boost of breakaway speed after that as they won 12 of the next 15 points to take a commanding 22-12 lead. The Yellow Jackets tried to close the gap by winning seven of the next nine points with help of three blocks and a kill from Freeland and Davis-Golliher which cut the lead to 24-19 before Ryli Kalahiki ended it with a kill to give Fort Lewis the win 3-0.

 
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Ellie Thomas: 24 digs, 4 assists
Emily Freeland: 7 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks
Elena Atkinson: 12 assists, 7 digs, ace
Jaeda Davis-Golliher: 4 blocks, 4 kills, dig
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will continue their time in Southwestern Colorado by heading to Gunnison to face the Western Colorado Mountaineers tomorrow at 5 PM.
 
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