SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Fort Lewis College volleyball team (5-4, 0-1 RMAC) battled through five sets in its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener on Friday, ultimately falling 3-2 to Black Hills State (5-4, 1-0 RMAC). The Yellow Jackets took the match by set scores of 25-23, 15-25, 25-23, 23-25, and 19-17.
Fort Lewis finished the night with 65 kills and a .188 hitting percentage compared to 69 kills and a .237 clip for Black Hills State. The Skyhawks held the advantage defensively with 93 digs and 12 blocks compared to 85 digs and eight blocks for the Yellow Jackets.
Senior Alina Nunez led all Skyhawks with 24 kills on .283 hitting while adding 19 digs and four blocks. Senior Jordan DeJesus followed with 14 kills and 16 digs, while Caleigh Sommers added 10 kills and seven blocks. Ellie Ames was efficient in the middle with eight kills on .263 hitting and a match-high eight blocks. Sophomore Alyx Daugherty led the back row with 31 digs, and Arianna Reyna posted a double-double with 32 assists and 13 digs.
Set One: Black Hills State 25, Fort Lewis 23
The first set trended in favor of the Skyhawks from the very beginning, highlighted by a block from Ames and Nunez for a 5-2 lead. Fort Lewis brought its lead to 9-4, forcing a timeout after Nunez hammered a kill down the line. Ames got the Skyhawks to 15 points with a pair of kills for a five-point lead.
Black Hills State rattled off three points to trim the lead before a block by Sommers gave Fort Lewis a side out. Service pressure extended the lead for the Skyhawks with aces from Reyna and Daugherty contributing to a 23-16 edge. The Yellow Jackets answered with six straight points to force the Skyhawks into a timeout with a narrow lead at 23-22. Fort Lewis called another timeout after Black Hills State scored a pair out of the break to see set point. The scoring run continued and ended the set in a 25-23 score following the 10th attacking error of the set. Fort Lewis hit .022 in the opener while Black Hills State finished at .182.
Set Two: Fort Lewis 25, Black Hills State 15
Fort Lewis flipped the script in the second set with its most efficient offensive performance of the match. The Skyhawks committed just one attacking error across 29 attempts, finishing the frame with 11 kills and a .345 hitting percentage. On the other side of the net, Fort Lewis' defense forced six Yellow Jacket errors and held the home team to a .188 clip. The dominant response evened the match at one set apiece with a 25-15 win.
Set Three: Black Hills State 25, Fort Lewis 23
The offenses found another gear in the third, combining for 32 kills in the narrow frame. Fort Lewis put away a set-high 17 kills and hit .238, but Black Hills State countered with its most efficient set of the match to that point, totaling 15 kills against just two errors for a .333 clip. The sides remained within striking distance throughout the set before the Yellow Jackets escaped with another 25-23 win to move ahead 2-1 in the match.
Set Four: Fort Lewis 25, Black Hills State 23
With its back against the wall, Fort Lewis responded to force a fifth set. The Skyhawks produced 16 kills in the fourth while hitting .217, holding Black Hills State to 14 kills and a .200 efficiency. The two sides battled down the stretch before Fort Lewis found the final separation needed for a 25-23 victory, sending the match to a decisive fifth frame.
Set Five: Black Hills State 19, Fort Lewis 17
The fifth set turned into a marathon with neither side willing to give way. Fort Lewis totaled 10 kills in the frame, but Black Hills State countered with 14 and hit .294. The Skyhawks pushed beyond the traditional 15-point finish and fought off opportunities late before the Yellow Jackets finally broke through for a 19-17 win to close out the five-set battle.
Up Next
Fort Lewis has a quick turnaround and will make the trip to Rapid City on Saturday to take on South Dakota Mines. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. as the Skyhawks continue RMAC play.
