SPEARFISH, S.D.- The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets are officially beginning their 2026 season and will be headed to Bismarck, N.D. to do so. The Green and Gold will begin their season at the Marauders First Serve Invitational where they will play four matches between Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29 versus MSU Billings, UMary, Western New Mexico, and Bemidji State. The Yellow Jackets will be looking to get their season started off right in the McDowell Activity Center this weekend.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

Date/Time/Location: MSU Billings: Friday, August 28 at 10:30 AM MST.
UMary: Friday, August 28 at 6 PM MST.
Western New Mexico: Saturday, August 29 at 10:30 AM MST.
Bemidji State: Saturday, August 29 at 1:30 PM MST.
All games will be played in the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, N.D.
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at the link above. It will be $11 for an adult for each day and will be $6 per day for a youth (ages 13-18). The ticket will provide access to all games that day.
NSIC Network: You can tune in to all Marauders First Serve Invitational on the NSIC Network. The NSIC Network partnered with Midco Sports which requires a monthly subscription to watch games. You can purchase those monthly subscriptions at the link above. The subscriptions start at $15 a month.
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES:

• The Yellow Jackets enter the season fresh off a season where they had the most wins in a season since 2021 and the most conference wins since 2022. The Yellow Jackets went 6-20 (2-12 RMAC) last season. They went 3-1 in the 1^st International Bank Homecoming Classic before entering RMAC play and pulled out two wins over Chadron, one of them in the regional pod, and a win over Western Colorado in regular conference play.
• BHSU has gone 3-1 in one of their regular season tournaments in each of the last three seasons, and this will be one of two chances this year to keep that streak rolling. The Yellow Jackets went 0-4 in the opening tournament last year, before going 3-1 in their second tournament.
• The Yellow Jackets are featuring a pretty new team this year. They are only bringing back three players who started 15 or more games last year and only have five that started more than ten. They graduated five key seniors for the team last year and are bringing in six freshman and one transfer.
• BHSU was projected to finish 14^th in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 43 points, just ahead of Chadron State and one point behind Western Colorado.
• Elena Atkinson is one of two returners who started 16 games last season. She was the top setter for BHSU last year finishing with a team-high 403 assists and averaged 4.58 assists per set. Atkinson finished fourth on the team in digs with 121. She added 11 aces and three total blocks. She reached 20 assists in eight games this year and reached 15 in 12 games. Atkinson set her career-high for assists early in the season when she had 38 versus Augustana. She also set a career-high in kills for that game as well with three, while posing a career-high 11 digs versus Western Colorado. She reached seven digs in eight games this year. The other career-best set this year was when she had two blocks versus Saint Martin's.
• Peyton McLeod is the other returner who started 16 of 21 games last year. She was one of the top middles on the team last year. She had 53 kills with .84 kills per set and finished second on the team with a .181 hitting percentage. The Fort Collins, Colorado native finished second on the team with 52.0 total blocks and had 15 digs and two assists. McLeod produced a block in all but four games and had multiple blocks in 15 of her 21 games. She had a career-high seven total blocks versus Regis the game after setting her career-high of six against Chadron State. She had a career-high six kills in her second to last game versus NMHU. The freshman finished 16^th in the RMAC in blocks per set.
• Carsyn Mettler, who started 15 games for the Yellow Jackets last year and appeared in all 26, will be the top hitter returning from last season. She finished third on the team with 159 kills and fourth in points per set with 1.92. She had a 1.71 kills per set mark and also had a .174 hitting percentage. On the defensive side, she had 87 digs and 35 total blocks. She added 13 assists and one ace and had a season-high 15 kills versus UMary and Western Colorado. Had four total blocks versus Fort Lewis. Mettler started her season with 34 digs in the first three matches.
• Izabel Abril is one of our other veteran hitters coming back. Abril started 11 of the 23 matches this year for the Yellow Jackets. She produced 85 kills, 29 blocks and had 1.09 kills per set and a .091 hitting percentage. She had a season-high 11 kills versus UMary and a season high 11.5 points versus UMary while producing 100.0 points this year. Abril tied her career-high for total blocks in a game with seven versus Chadron State.
• Mianna Cardenas is the final returner who started double digit games last year. Cardenas appeared in 45 sets as a junior and started 10 out of 18 matches. She had 25 kills, 23.0 total blocks, and 37.5 points in her season. The Casper, Wyoming local averaged .51 blocks per set, .81 points per set, and .56 kills per set. She had a .120 hitting percentage. Cardenas had five kills in two of three games early in the season and started her season off with 17 blocks in her first nine matches including a season-high four blocks versus Northern State. She also had a season-high three digs versus UMary.
• Head coach Grayson DuBose enters his second season with the Yellow Jackets and has a BHSU record of 6-20 (2-12 RMAC) but has 14 years of head coaching experience at the D1 level prior to joining BHSU. He was head coach at Utah State for all 14 years and has a 195-253 career record with two WAC Coach of the Year awards and one NCAA Division 1 Tournament appearance.

 
MSU BILLINGS STORYLINES

• MSU Billings is coming off the first season in the Scott Keister era. The Yellowjackets finished the year with a 2-22 record and had a 0-18 record in GNAC play. MSU Billings sole wins came against Brandon University (CAN) and Rocky Mountain in the Rimrock Rivalry. They also took University of Manitoba and Western Oregon to five sets in those matches.
• In their opening tournament of the year last year, MSUB went 1-3 with a  win against Brandon, but a five-set loss to Manitoba. Prior to last year, they went 2-2 or better in their opening non-conference tournament every year since 2019.
• The Yellowjackets finished the year in tenth place in the GNAC and were kept at tenth in the GNAC Preseason Poll earning 11 points, just behind Western Oregon.
• MSUB only returns three of the key players from last year's team and six players that played overall. They will have nine new players on this team alone with five freshman and four transfers.
• Allie Dorman is the top player returning for the Yellowjackets. Dorman, a sophomore outside hitter from Colorado Springs, Colo. was named All-GNAC Honorable mention last year as a freshman. She started 23 of the 23 games she played last year, had 209.5 points, which led the team, also led the team in kills with 178, aces with 22, and added 143 digs and 20 blocks. She had a career-high 20 kills versus Rocky Mountain with a .356 hitting percentage, and had her first double-double of her career with a 16 kill, 10 digs performance versus Western Oregon.
• Avary Stuff was the top libero for MSU-Billings last year. Stuff finished seventh in the conference in digs per set with 4.06 and had 276 total digs. She was also second on the team in aces with 20 behind Dorman. The senior from Great Falls, Mont. Appeared in 21 games and had double-digit digs in 13 of them and had a career-high 31 digs versus Manitoba. She also had 24 digs versus Rocky Mountain, 23 versus Western Oregon, 22 versus UMary, and 20 versus Brandon.
• Jordin Taulua is the other top returner for the Yellowjackets. The senior Georgia State transfer from Los Angeles, Calif. Started 14 games of the 15 she played in last year and finished third on the team in kills with 116, second in kills per set (2.35), and third on the team in blocks with 22.
• Head coach Scott Keister is entering his second season at Montana State. He has a 2-22 record with a 0-18 record in conference play in his first year. Prior to that, Keister was the head coach at Northwest College and has a career record of 89-85.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Since BHSU joined the D2 era, MSU Billings in 5-2 versus the Yellow Jackets. They have met four times since 2023 and are 2-2 in that stretch.
• MSUB won the most recent matchup in 2024 1-3 (25-20, 26-28, 10-25, 18-25)

 
UMARY STORYLINES

• UMary is coming off a season where they had the most wins since 2023. They went 6-22 (3-17 NSIC). They beat Minot State twice, Minnesota Crookston, MSU-Billings, Brandon, and BHSU. They also took Manitoba to five sets, BHSU to five sets, and MSU-Moorhead to five sets. After a solid season, they ended the year with eight straight losses, not winning a set in any of them, however five of those eight games were against ranked opponents.
• UMary went 1-3 in last year's opening tournament and have gone 5-15 in the opening regular season tournament since 2021. Last year, UMary fell to Northern, Saint Martin's, and Chadron in the Eagle Classic to open the year.
• UMary went 2-8 at home last year with the Minot State and Crookston wins being their sole home victories.
• After finishing last year in 14^th place in the NSIC, UMary was kept in 14^th in the NSIC Preseason Poll. They earned 40 points, just behind Bemidji State and ahead of Crookston.
• UMary has four key returners that started every game they played last year. The first is Holli Klettheimer. Klettheimer, a junior middle blocker from Frankton, Ind., was named the Player to Watch for the Marauders in the NSIC Preseason Poll article, and had 150 kills with a team leading .272 hitting percentage. She had 53 blocks to go with it, which was second on the team. She had a season-high 13 kills twice versus BHSU and Jamestown. She also had a season high six blocks twice versus Crookston and Jamestown.
• Judith Burke, a junior outside from Eagle, Idaho, was the top outside hitter for UMary last year and led Mary with 299 kills and 325.0 points. It was the most amount of kills in a season for a UMary player since 2017. She added 194 digs and 25 blocks to the team. She had double digit kills in 14 games last year, including a season-high 19 versus Minot State with 13 digs. She had seven double-doubles last year that included a 13-kill, 14-dig performance against Jamestown.
• Dani Highum was the other part of the outside tandem for UMary. She had 271 kills, 317.0 points, a team-high 29 aces, and 191 digs with 32 blocks. Highum was one of only three players to start all 28 games last year and she had a .180 hitting percentage and 2.79 kills per set in those games. The junior from Lennox, S.D. had 13 games with more than 10 kills and eight games with more than ten digs. She had an ace in 14 games. She had a season high 17 kills versus St. Martin's. She had a season-high 13 digs versus Jamestown and had four aces versus Jamestown and Brandon (CAN).
• Natalie Boehmer is the top setter returning to the Marauders this year. Boehmer, a junior setter from Horicon, Wis., was part of the two setter tandem last year for UMary, she finished second on the team in assists with 412, she also added 18 aces, and 149 digs. Out of the 26 games she played in, she reached double-digit assists in 18 of them. She started out the year with nine straight double-digit assist games including a career-high 49 versus Manitoba. She also had 46 in the second meeting versus Black Hills State, adding ten digs in that game as well.
• Rob Frost enters his second year at UMary after taking over last February, but he has 11 seasons of experience and a 248-106 career record. He has a record at UMary of 6-22.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• In the D2 era, BHSU is 7-2 versus Mary with the two losses coming in two of the past three games. BHSU won each of the first six games to begin the D2 era versus the Marauders. Of the games we know, BHSU is 10-11 versus UMary.
• Last year, BHSU and UMary met twice. UMary took the first one, before the Green and Gold struck back and took game two in five sets. Carsyn Mettler led BHSU in kills with 15, Zoie Husman had six aces, and Elena Atkinson had 20 assists.

 
WESTERN NEW MEXICO STORYLINES

• The Mustangs are coming off a solid year, where they were near .500 with a 12-17 record and had a 6-11 record in Lone Star play. WNMU were able to win six non-conference games, three of those wins were against RMAC teams and Western New Mexico went 3-3 versus RMAC teams with wins against Fort Lewis, Western Colorado, and Adams State and losses to New Mexico Highlands twice, and UCCS.
• Since 2021, WNMU has gone 5-15 in their first tournament of the year. They have gone 2-2 in each of the past two seasons to start the year including last year where they beat Fort Lewis and Eastern New Mexico in their home tournament. WNMU also went 2-2 in the Midwestern State Invitational in 2024.
• Last year, the Mustangs were one of the best teams in the nation in blocking. They ranked 16^th in the nation in blocks per set (2.45), and 17^th in total blocks (270). Western New Mexico is returning both girls who were top five in the Lone Star in total blocks.
• WNMU is bringing back almost their entire starting lineup. Out of the girls who started over 10 games for WNMU last year five of the six are returning. They are also returning their top libero as well.
• The Mustangs were picked to finish 14^th in the LSC with 287 points in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. They were picked ahead of Texas A&M International, and just behind UT Dallas.
• Daphne Posthumus is one of the many top players returning for the Mustangs this year. The 6'3" middle blocker from the Netherlands is coming off a fantastic freshman season where she was named All-LSC Second Team and All-LSC Freshman Team. She had 115.0 total blocks, and led WNMU in kills with 280 and total points (364). She was ranked fifth in the Lone Star in total blocks (115), sixth in blocks per set (1.05), and fourth in hitting percentage (.336). Her best game of the year came against Lubbock Christian when she had her sole double-double on the year with ten kills and ten total blocks. She had a career-high 18 kills versus Cameron. She had double-digit kills in 13 games and had three or more blocks in 23 of her 29 games.  
• Brynlee Barris was the second part of the middle tandem for the Mustangs. The 6'2" senior from Winslow, Arizona led the team in blocks last year with 115 and finished second in kills with 239. She also led the team in aces with 22. She finished with 345.5 total points. Barris was named and All-LSC Honorable Mention. She ranked fourth in the LSC in blocks per set (1.08) and total blocks (116.0), while being tenth in hitting percentage (.290). Her best game of the year came against Texas A&M Kingsville when she had nine kills, 11 blocks, nine of which were solo, and an ace for 20 total points. She also had a season-high 15 kills versus Adams State. She also had three or more blocks in 23 of her 28 games, and had double-digit kills 13 times.
• Hannah Haggard was the top setter for Western New Mexico last year with 531 assists. The junior from Tucson, Arizona averaged 5.11 assists per set and had 15 aces to go with it. She added 185 digs, which was third on the team. She had double-digit assists in all but three games and over 20 in 13 of her 29 games. She had a season-high 35 assists in the win over Fort Lewis last year with 13 digs.
• Mikelle McAfee was the top libero for WNMU last year and had 394 digs. The senior averaged 3.65 digs per set, and had a .941 reception percentage last year. She also was second on the team with 20 aces. She had a season-high 25 digs versus Eastern New Mexico the second time the two teams faced and she had four aces in a game twice versus ENMU the first matchup, and Texas A&M International. She had double digit digs in 19 games last year and reached 15 in 13 of them.
• Geno Frugoli is the head coach of Western New Mexico. He is in his fourth season at the helm of the Mustangs, but has 13 years of 4-year college experience. He has a career 131-268 record with a 25-61 record at Western New Mexico. He has previously served as head coach of Dakota Wesleyan, Peru State, Kansas City, and Southeastern Louisiana.

 
SERIES HISOTRY

• Since BHSU joined the RMAC, they are 0-2 versus Western New Mexico having lost 0-3 in 2012 and 1-3 in 2015 in the only two matchups. This will be BHSU's first matchup versus WNMU in over ten years.

 
BEMIDJI STATE STORYLINES

• The Beavers are coming off a 7-21 season where they went 4-16 in NSIC play. BSU got three of their wins at the 2025 Hampton Inn Invitational in Kenosha, Wis. They defeated Roosevelt, Missouri S&T, and McKendree. The Beavers had to face ten ranked opponents last year going 1-9 in those games. They had their signature win of the season versus #18 Minnesota Duluth and also had wins versus Minot State, Crookston, and UMary.
• They finished their season losing their last eight games to end the year and only took two sets in those final eight games. They went 0-4 in their first tournament last year and have gone 5-15 in the opening weekend since 2021. Last year, they played in Florida at the Eckard classic and lost to Ohio Dominican, Maryville, UPR-Mayaguez, and Eckerd.
• BSU had six players last year start at least 25 of the 28 games, out of those six, three are returning this year.
• Bemidji State was picked to finish 13^th in the NSIC this year with 59 points, ahead of UMary and just behind Jamestown. They finished 13^th last year with a 4-16 conference record.
• Madison Tripp is the key returner for Bemidji as she ran as the sole setter for Bemidji last year and registered 631 total assists. She also finished third on the team in aces with 23. She added 203 digs and was named the Player to Watch for Bemidji in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll article. She averaged 6.19 assists as a freshman out of Kaukauna, Wis. She started all 28 games last year for BSU and had 19 games with 20 or more assists. Her career-high for assists came against Minnesota Duluth when she 40 assists. She also tied her career-high with four aces that game.
• Ava Athman is one of the other top returners for the Beavers.  The junior middle blocker from Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, started all 28 games last year. She was second on the team in points (316.5), kills (273), digs (208), and third in blocks (31.0), she also led the team in aces with 26. She had double digit kills in 12 games, had a career-high 21 digs versus Jamestown and had four double-doubles, including a 17-kill, 13 dig performance versus UPR-Mayaguez. She had a season-high three aces four times including versus Augustana most recently.
• Grace Hoffard is the other top returner. She started 27 of 28 games last year and was second on the team in blocks with 48.0 and had 164 kills. The junior middle blocker from Breezy Point, Minnesota had a block in all but four games last year and had multiple in 14 games. She had a season-high four total blocks on four separate occasions. The most recent occasion was versus #10 St. Cloud State. She also had a season-high 12 kills versus Minnesota Crookston.
• Hahni Johnson is the interim head coach for Bemidji State and took the position in early July. She will be a first-time head coach after serving as the Beavers assistant coach last year. She was a GA for Colorado Mesa prior to joining the Beavers coaching staff last year.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• BHSU has only met Bemidji State one time since joining D2 and are 1-0 against the Beavers in that time. They defeated BSU 3-0 in 2021 at the Yellowjacket Invitational.