SPEARFISH, S.D.  Western Colorado put on its rally caps beginning with the third set but host Black Hills State University was able to withstand the challenge to finish off a 3-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory Friday evening.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Black Hills State def. Western, 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 22-25, 25-19)
Records: Western 2-16 (1-10 RMAC), Black Hills State 4-15 (3-8)
Location: Donald E. Young Center, Spearfish, S.D.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountaineers dug a deep hole from which to try to climb in the opening two sets, posting negative hitting percentages to fall behind 2-0 in the match. Things got better in the third set, though.
• Western grabbed its first lead of the match with consecutive kills from Emily Mangone to give the Mountaineers a 3-2 lead.
• The Yellow Jackets pulled back even and was followed by numerous tie scores until late in the set with BHSU leading 22-21.
• Mangone knocked down a kill to square things at 22, then added another kill for a 23-22 Mountaineer lead. An attack error by the Yellow Jackets lifted Western to within a point of the set victory, which came on the next service with Jaeda Davis-Golliher's kill from her middle position.
• Momentum seemed to favor the Mountaineers entering the fourth set, but the hosts found a spark of their own as the teams battled nearly point for point.
• Perhaps the pressure of the evenness of the set spurred several service errors – there were eight in the set – but it was a service ace sandwiched between a Yellow Jacket kill and a Mountaineer attack error that broke a 14-14 tie and seemed to turn the tide.
• With Western doing its best to hang close, BHSU used a 5-0 spurt – which ironically included a pair of service aces – to pull away late to finish off the set and the match.

DATA POINTS

• Mangone and Davis-Golliher finished with 11 points apiece to lead Western. Mangone collected 10 kills and 2 block assists for her total while Davis-Golliher had 9 kills and 4 block assists.
• Davis-Golliher, who entered the match fifth in the RMAC in hitting percentage, might climb a spot after posting a .368 mark Friday.
• Three Mountaineers came up with double-digit digs in the loss, paced by Mangone's 13. Also reaching double digits were Shelby Rusch with a career-best 11 and setter Lexi Wilmoth who tied her career high with 10.
• It took three sets, but Western climbed into the positive in attack percentage in the third set before finishing the night with a .044 mark.
• The Yellow Jackets registered important points at the net defensively, closing out the night with a 13.0 to 6.0 advantage in total blocks.

UP NEXT
Western continues its swing through the Mount Rushmore state on Saturday, when it takes on host South Dakota School of Mines in another RMAC battle.