The storied Black Hills Brawl rivalry did not disappoint on an obviously intense night; it certainly became a letdown when the Yellow Jacket volleyball team lost to South Dakota Mines 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 18-25) on Tuesday night.
Black Hills badly fought the match, winning the second set with forcefulness (the first set the Yellow Jackets had won against the Hardrockers since 2003) and making it 1-1. But running strong in sets three and four, the Hardrockers ran away with the match in front of a lively crowd. The Hardrockers ran strong with runs in those last two sets.”
Yellow Jackets’ Strong Performance Not Enough
Black Hills State University made a great comeback in the second set, winning it in a calm 8-3 run and finishing the tight match 25-23. Randi Wellhoefer pummeled the ball for the Yellow Jackets, scoring a topsy-turvy high team kill of 13. Another brilliant contribution was made by Emily Freeland, who bagged 11 kills and 10 digs. Notwithstanding the individual highlights, the Hardrockers had a better hitting percentage and were a dominant force in net defense, out-blocking BHSU in the match 9-5. After trails in the early going of the third, the Yellow Jackets made their way to a 9-9 tie; however, just as quick as they caught up, SDSMT edged slightly in front to steal the set 25-22. After this, the Hardrockers used the momentum to take the match, finishing the Yellow Jackets in the fourth set on a score of 25-18. The loss left the Yellow Jackets with an even 4-9 on the season as they prepare for their next slate of conference matches (1-4 in RMAC).