SPEARFISH, S.D. – Black Hills State fell behind 2-0 in this match, but dominant play in sets three, four and five allowed BHSU to control the rest of the game and use strong performances from Makayla Dorsey, Zoie Husman and Peyton McLeod to earn a crucial win in the RMAC Power Pod. The Yellow Jackets had 15 blocks and 15 aces compared to nine of each for WCU, which played a crucial part in the momentum shifts.
Quick details
Score: Black Hills State 3, Western Colorado 2
Team records: Black Hills State (9-13 (4-6 RMAC)), Western Colorado (10-12 (4-6 RMAC))
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Attendance: 123
How it happened
- Western started the first set with an 8-2 run with seven kills and an ace. BHSU won three in a row to make it 8-5. After some back-and-forth, BHSU took four points in a row from two kills from Husman and two aces from Elena Atkinson to tie the game at 12-12. Western responded by winning 13 of the next 18 points to take the first set 25-17.
- Makayla Dorsey started the second set on fire for BHSU as she had two kills and a solo block in a 5-2 run to begin the frame. Western won three in a row to tie it at five and the game remained tied at 7-7. Husman recorded a kill and two aces and Dorsey added three kills in a 6-1 run that put BHSU up 13-8. BHSU continued to roll, getting six of the next nine points off kills from Dorsey, Izabel Abril and Husman to go up 20-13. Husman added another kill to make it 21-15 before Western went on a massive 7-0 run that led to an 11-3 stretch to win the set 26-24 and take a 2-0 lead.
- The third set started out close as there were six ties in the first 22 points, leading to an 11-11 deadlock. BHSU won three in a row to make it 14-11, and then Western won four straight to take the lead back at 15-14. An 11-4 run for BHSU, with two blocks by McLeod and a kill and an ace by Husman, gave BHSU a 25-19 win and closed the set gap to 2-1.
- BHSU took all the momentum in the fourth set. With four blocks from McLeod and Husman, two aces from Dorsey and another ace from Emma Kruger, BHSU opened on a 12-4 run. Western was able to get a small swing as it cut the lead to four at 16-12 before BHSU won eight of the next 11 points, with kills by five different Yellow Jackets, to take a 24-15 lead. After WCU won three in a row to make it 24-18, BHSU got a kill from Mettler to win the set 25-18 and tie the match at two sets apiece.
- Western started the fifth set with a 3-1 lead before the Green and Gold went on an 8-2 run with contributions from across the lineup. Two kills and a block by McLeod and Husman and a kill and an ace from Dorsey helped BHSU take a 9-5 lead. The Mountaineers won five of the next eight points to cut the lead to two at 12-10 and kept it there at 13-11, but a kill by Mettler and a block by McLeod and Mianna Cardenas closed out the set 15-11 and the match 3-2.
Black Hills State statistical leaders
Zoie Husman: 17 kills, 3 aces, 5 blocks, 11 digs
Makayla Dorsey: 14 kills, 3 aces, 11 digs
Peyton McLeod: 6 kills, 11 blocks
Keira Thompson: 22 digs
Elena Atkinson and Emma Kruger: 24 & 23 assists
The Yellow Jackets will host their fourth and fifth games in a row next weekend as they host South Dakota Mines in the next edition of the Black Hills Brawl Rivalry Series presented by Ford on Tuesday and then host Colorado School of Mines for senior night on Saturday. It will be the Yellow Jackets' final home games of the year before they end the season on the road.
