CHADRON, NE– The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets (0-4) were able to win a set versus Northern State (4-0) for the first time since joining D2 when they took the first set of the match. However, Northern State answered back by winning the next three sets and ended the Eagle Classic with a win. Randi Wellhoefer and Emily Freeland once again lead the team in kills, while Ellie Thomas had a great game at libero with 17 kills.
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 1, Northern State 3
Team Records: Black Hills State (0-4), Northern State (4-0)
Attendance: 52
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Yellow Jackets came out swinging in the first set. They won the first four points of the match and never let up. NSU kept the lead at the same spot for a while and BHSU was able to hold an 11-6 lead before the Wolves went on a 4-0 run to make it a 11-10 match. BHSU did not fold there, winning eight of the next 12 points to regrow the lead to 19-14. NSU won four in a row to cut the lead to 21-20, but the Green and Gold never gave up the lead despite late pressure from the Wolves. All three middles in Wellhoefer, Jaeda Davis-Golliher, and Mianna Cardenas each got kills to put the set away and give BHSU their first set win over NSU since joining D2 25-23.
- The good vibes continued as BHSU won each of the first three points of the second set, but NSU finally woke up and won 11 of the next 13 points to take an 11-5 lead. Wellhoefer tried to keep the Jackets in it with two kills, but the closest BHSU ever got to Northern was four points, and BHSU never put together a run longer than two points, which allowed Northern to keep growing their lead, before a BHSU service error ended the set at 25-17.
- The two teams started the third set going back and forth with the Wolves holding a slight 7-5 lead before Northern went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-5 lead. The Yellow Jackets and Wolves would trade some more points and with the score at 17-9, NSU would go on another 6-0 run to take a 23-9 lead. BHSU would get a kill from Davis-Golliher to get to 23-10, but an attack error by BH would end the set at 25-10. It was the largest loss in a set so far this season for the Jackets.
- Sydnie Tuioti-Mariner would start the fourth set with an ace to give BHSU a 1-0 lead. Northern would answer, going on a 9-2 run to make it 9-3. BHSU and Northern would go back and forth on points with none being able to get a run going. BHSU was only down 14-9 when NSU went on another 9-2 run to make it 23-11. Freeland would get back-to-back kills to make it 23-13 before Katelyn Schroeder would get a kill and an ace to end the match at 25-13.
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Randi Wellhoefer: 10 kills, 1.5 blocks, 5 digs
Emily Freeland: 9 kills, ace, 7 digs
Ellie Thomas: 17 digs