BISMARCK, N.D.- The Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets were able to come out of the Marauders First Serve Invitational at .500 after splitting both games for the second day in a row.
Izzy Saiki gave BHSU their first 20 kill performance of the season in game one and combined for 29 kills over the two games as the Yellow Jackets took down Western New Mexico in five sets before falling to Bemidji State in three.
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QUICK DETAILS- GAME 1
Score:Â Black Hills State 3, Western New Mexico 2
Team Records:Â Black Hills State (2-1), Western New Mexico (0-3)
Attendance:Â 101
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Yellow Jackets for the third straight game started the first set very strong. BHSU went up 8-2 early in the first set off three kills from three different players and an ace from Emma Kruger. BHSU then just held off Western New Mexico with neither team winning more than two points in a row for the rest of the set until BHSU won three in a row to win the set at 25-17 with three attack errors from the Mustangs. WNMU never won more than two points in a row.
- WNMU took three of the first four points to begin the second set and then two kills from Saiki got it to 4-3. After Western New Mexico got three kills in a row, BHSU won four in a row on kills by Saiki and Mianna Cardenas and a block by Zoie Husman and Peyton McLeod to tie it at seven. The Mustangs won back-to-back points before BHSU went on a 5-1 run with three kills by Husman and an ace by Elena Atkinson to make it 12-10. Western New Mexico answered with six straight points to take a four point lead and then BHSU won eight of 11 points to take a 20-19 lead. Saiki had two kills on that run, while Mettler, Abril, and Husman each had one. The Mustangs ended any hope of a sweep however when they won six straight points on five kills to win the set 25-20.
- The third set of this match has a chance to be the early favorite for set of the year. After WNMU won back-to-back to begin the set, BHSU took seven of ten to make it 7-5. This included two more kills from Saiki. The Mustangs won three straight points before BHSU won six of seven to make it 13-9 with four errors from WNMU. Western New Mexico won four straight points and BHSU took two in a row to make it 15-13. The Mustangs won two in a row to tie it at 15 and the Green and Gold went on a 6-1 run to make it 21-16 with three kills from Saiki. WNMU matched with a 6-1 run to tie it at 22 and then the set remained tied at 24. Isabella Brewer would get a kill to make it 25-24 before a service error and two kills from Saiki would give BHSU the 27-25 win.
- Western New Mexico took five of seven to start the fourth set and BHSU would answer by winning five of eight to bring the score to 8-7. WNMU would win three in a row, before BHSU would win a season-high seven points in a row to make it 14-11. Saiki would add another three kills in that run while Mettler and Husman each added one. The two teams would split the next six points to keep the lead at three and then WNMU would win four out of five to tie it at 18. BHSU won back-to-back, and then the Mustangs won three in a row to take a 21-20 lead. The Yellow Jackets won two in a row to take a 22-21 lead before a Brynlee Barris kill tied it at 22 and Keira Thompson gave the Jackets the lead back at 23-22. Brewer once again took things into her own hands and had two kills in a 3-0 run for the Mustangs to send it to a fifth set with WNMU winning 25-23.
- The Green and Gold would start the fifth set with a 6-3 lead thanks to three kills from Mettler. After splitting the next four points to keep the lead at three, WNMU would go on a 5-1 run to take the lead at 10-9. Two more Mettler kills would keep the game tied at 11 and a kill by Saiki would tie it up at 12. Husman and McLeod would both get kills to put BHSU one point away from winning before the Mustangs won back-to-back points to tie the game at 14-14. A service error and a kill by Husman would end the game for BHSU and give them a 16-14 win in the fifth set as they got vengeance for losing the fifth set last night.
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BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
QUICK DETAILS – GAME 2
Score:Â Black Hills State 0, Bemidji State 3
Team Records:Â Black Hills State (2-2), Bemidji State (4-0)
Attendance:Â 77
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- This game started close in the first set as Mettler had two kills in a block to make it 3-3. Saiki had two kills and Husman had one to make it 8-6, but that's when this match turned quickly. Bemidji went on a 12-1 run with eight kills and an ace to take a 20-7 lead. BHSU tried to fight back winning eight out of 11 including a kill and an ace from Saiki to make it 23-15. Back-to-back service errors made it 24-16 before Nevaeh Carlson got a kill to win the set for the Beavers at 25-16.
- BHSU got a little better start in the second set taking a 5-2 lead on errors from BSU and a block from Mettler and McLeod. However, a 6-2 run and an 8-3 run made it 18-12 Bemidji State. Neither team would win back-to-back for nine points as Bemidji held a 22-17 lead before two kills by Ava Athman in a 3-0 run made it 25-17 Bemidji to take a 2-0 lead.
- BHSU took a 3-2 lead in set three before Bemidji had a 4-0 run, followed by a Yellow Jacket 3-0 run, followed by another Bemidji State 4-0 run, and then another 3-0 run from the Green and Gold as the score ended up at 10-9 BSU. The Beavers won eight of the next nine with two more 4-0 runs to make it 18-10. After some good back and forth and Bemidji two points away from winning at 23-14, BHSU used two Saiki kills and three BSU errors to go on a 5-0 run to make it 23-19, however a kill and a block by the Beavers gave them the 3-0 match win and 25-19 set win.
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BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will head to Sioux Falls next weekend where they will compete in the USF Volleyball Classic and will face #8 Washburn on Thursday, #RV Sioux Falls and UMary on Friday and Upper Iowa on Saturday in what will be their last non-conference test before heading into RMAC play the next week.
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