GUNNISON, Colo.  It was Wild, Wild West Night at Paul Wright Gym and the fans saw a wild one as Western Colorado surrendered a two-set lead in the match before winning the deciding fifth set for a 3-2 volleyball victory over visiting Black Hills State University. It was the Mountaineers' first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory of the season.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. Black Hills State, 3-2 (25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 26-28, 15-12)
Records: Western 3-13 overall (1-5 RMAC), BHSU 5-11 (1-6)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• One could almost use the word dominant in how Western played over the first two sets. There were only four ties over that span and just one lead change that occurred in the opening set. The rest of the match saw a drastic change.
• In the third set alone, the Mountaineers and Yellow Jackets exchanged the lead eight times and played through 14 ties. Western led late, 21-20, but Black Hills State rallied with five of the next six points to stave off defeat.
• The teams battled through seven lead changes and were knotted 17 times in the fourth set, which went into extended play. Western fought off a set point at 25-24, then inched ahead on a kill from Seyun Park. A Western attacking error pulled the teams even, for the final time, and once more the Yellow Jackets averted defeat by this time scoring the final two points of the set.
• Given how the previous two sets had played out, it would have been expected to continue into the deciding frame. But Western broke away from a 2-2 tie to open a 7-2 lead behind a pair of kills from Maggie Olson, one from Park, and two attacking errors by the Yellow Jackets.
• The lead stayed at five points until Black Hills State cut into that deficit late, but a Miya Alvarado cross-court rocket for the final point clinched the set and the match for Western.

NOTES AT THE NET

• Multiple season and career bests were on the scoresheet for Western: Maggie Olson's 22 kills were a career high; Kennedy Kelly's 10 were a season high; Nur Turkmenoglu's 54 set assists were a season high; Addison Lynn's 18 digs were a career high; and Western's 8.0 total blocks tied its season best total.
• Olson spread out her hills across the match. She recorded five in the first set, three in the second, four in both the third and fourth sets, then racked up six in the deciding fifth.
• Overall, the Mountaineer attack included four players with double-digit kills: Olson, Kennedy, Park (13), and Alvarado (10).
• Black Hills State's Abigail Renner kept her team in the match with a match-best 23 kills.
• Not to be outdone by Lynn, Libero Elizabeth Rupprecht also came up with 18 digs, finished with a .917 reception percentage, added three assists, and notched two service aces.
• The Mountaineers recorded their highest attack percentage in a set this season in posting a .452 mark in the opening set. Their .292 mark in the fifth was also a decisive statistic in the victory.

UP NEXT
Western will host its next two outings, both RMAC matches. Tuesday it welcomes Fort Lewis College to Paul Wright Gym on Dig Pink Night, then takes on New Mexico Highlands University on Sunday for a Hawaiian Beach Party.