RAPID CITY, S.D.- The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets, despite scoring 18 or more points in every set, fell to the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers 3-1 tonight in a match that saw so many lead changes in each set and that was back and forth the entire way through. BHSU got their first set win on SDM since 2023 and were led by Randi Wellhoefer and Emily Freeland, who had a combined 24 kills.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 1, South Dakota Mines 3
Team Records: Black Hills State (4-9 (1-4 RMAC)), South Dakota Mines (3-10 (3-2 RMAC))
Attendance: 252
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Yellow Jackets won four of the first six points with Izabel Abril starting the scoring and then McLeod getting a kill and a block to make it 4-2. After some point swapping, SDM tied it up on a 4-2 run of their own at 7-7. The Yellow Jackets won four of the next five to open up a three-point lead at 11-8 before the Hardrockers won four in a row to take their first lead of the set at 12-11. Then each team started winning every other point and the game stayed tied at 18 with Freeland and Morgan Daugherty trading kills. The Hardrockers then went on a 7-0 run to end the set that included three aces in a row, three kills, and a block. Hardrockers went up 1-0 with the 25-18 win.
• Both teams started the second set with two three-point runs to keep the game tied 7-7 and a kill by Heather Jiricek made it 8-7 SDM. BHSU would then win four in a row to take a 11-8 lead with two kills and a block by Wellhoefer. South Dakota Mines would immediately answer back with three straight points and two kills by Daugherty to tie it at 11. After BH got two straight points, SDM would go on another 3-0 run to take a 14-13 lead. They split the next seven points to make it 17-17 before SDM went on their fifth 3-0 run of the set to take a 20-17 lead. BHSU would then go on an 8-3 run with Wellhoefer having three more kills and another block to take the 25-23 win and tie it up at 1-1. It was the first set won by BHSU in the rivalry since 2023.
• South Dakota Mines started the third set with an 8-5 lead. BHSU would tie it up at nine with a 4-1 run with kills by McLeod, Wellhoefer, and an ace by Zoie Husman. The two teams swapped the next eight points With Carsyn Mettler, Freeland, and Jaeda Davis-Golliher all getting in on the kill train. With the score sitting at 13-13, SDM would win nine of the next 13 points to take a 22-17 lead. The Yellow Jackets were gritty and fought to win six of the next eight points, before Joy Aburto won the set with a kill to make it 25-22 and give the Hardrockers a 2-1 lead.
• No runs were made early in the fourth set with the score being 8-7 and each team only having one 2-0 run. The Jackets would then win four in a row with two kills and a block from Mettler to take a 11-8 lead. South Dakota Mines answered with a 4-1 run of their own to tie it at 12 before BHSU took two to make it 14-12. SDM would win seven of the next eight points with three kills in a row by Lexi Glendenning and took a 19-15 lead. The Green and Gold would win three of the next four with a kill by Wellhoefer and McLeod to close the gap to 20-18 before SDM won five straight points to win the set and the match at 25-18 and 3-1.

 
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Randi Wellhoefer: 13 kills, 1.5 blocks
Emily Freeland: 11 kills, 10 digs, 2 aces
Sydnie Tuioti-Mariner: 19 assists, 2 aces, 4 digs
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State continues their RMAC Regional Pod at home on Saturday versus the Chadron State Eagles as the Yellow Jackets will look to snap their three-game losing streak.
 
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