LAS VEGAS, N.M.- The Yellow Jackets were able to pull out a come from behind five-set victory over the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls. BHSU fell behind two sets to one and then pulled out a clutch comeback win in set four and took set five pretty handidly to take the match and end their six-game losing streak.
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 3, New Mexico Highlands 2
Team Records: Black Hills State (7-11 (3-5 RMAC)), New Mexico Highlands (3-16 (1-7 RMAC))
Attendance: 137
HOW IT HAPPENED
- NMHU got off to a hot start in set one. They took an early 8-2 lead and were rolling before the Yellow Jackets went on a 7-1 run with two kills from Carsyn Mettler that ballooned into a 12-3 run and gave BHSU a 14-11 lead. The Cowgirls went on a 7-3 run to make it 18-17. Mettler had two kills and a block in an 8-4 run to give BHSU the 25-21 set win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
- A kill by Peyton McLeod gave BHSU the first point of the set, but then Highlands won the next seven points and 13 of the next 17 to take a 13-5 lead. The rest of the set was back-and-forth with BHSU unable to ever close the gap. With the score at 21-14, NMHU went on a 4-2 run to take the second set 25-16.
- McLeod started the third set with a kill too before NMHU went on a 7-3 run to make it 7-4. BHSU would respond by winning 13 of the next 19 to take a 17-13 lead. A 10-3 run by Highlands would give them the 23-20 lead. After the Green and Gold took two of the next three, Highlands would get a kill to win the set 25-22 and take a 2-1 match lead.
- New Mexico Highlands took the first three points of the fourth set and then turned it into an early 9-5 lead. The Jackets took the next four points to tie it at 9-9 with three different players getting a kill. The Cowgirls would respond by winning the next five points and taking a 14-9 lead. BHSU would go on a 13-5 run and taking a 22-19 lead. The Cowgirls would win four of the next five to tie it at 23. The teams would split the next four points to tie it a 25 before a service error and a Mianna Cardenas kill would give BHSU the 27-25 win to push it to a fifth set.
- Highlands would take five of the fifth set's first eight points and the would hold a 6-4 lead. A kill by Saiki would be part of back-to-back points by the Yellow Jackets to tie it at six. The Green and Gold would go on a 7-2 run to make it 13-8. After a Jackets service error, Mettler and Saiki would each get a kill to win the set 15-9 and take the match 3-2.
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Izzy Saiki: 17 kills, 16 digs
Carsyn Mettler: 13 kills
Zoie Husman: 11 kills, 15 digs
Elena Atkinson: 29 assists, 3 aces, 6 digs
Peyton McLeod: 9 kills, 5 blocks
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets will have one last road trip of this road stand in Chadron on Tuesday night before they start a five-game homestand. BHSU will look to avenge their loss to Chadron earlier in the season.
