The Chadron State College volleyball team lost in five sets Friday night to South Dakota Mines (25-20, 15-25, 25-17, 18-25, 8-15). The Eagles fell to 7-19 overall, and 5-12 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in a very streaky match for both teams.
The Eagles started off hot, scoring the first seven points of the match, led by three Allie Ferguson kills. They extended and held the lead they created before the Hardrockers were able to cut it to two at 13-11. CSC would respond by scoring the next six points to extend the lead to 19-13 from a Lexi Hurtado kill. SDSM cut the lead down to three, but once again the Eagles stole momentum and go on a 4-1 run to put the set out of reach. An Aiyana Fujiyama kill ended any chance of a comeback and gave the Eagles the first set victory.
The second set saw the Hardrockers start off hot, jumping out to a 9-3 lead. A 5-3 run from the Eagles cut the lead down to 8-12, but the Hardrockers scored three straight points to capture the momentum needed to carry them to a set victory. The Eagles scored seven more points, but an attack error from CSC gave SDSM the point needed to end the set.
The third set opened with both teams clicking, and they were tied at 3-3. There was a total of six ties and lead changes before a Mayson Fago kill sparked an 8-1 run from the Eagles to put their lead at 15-9. The Hardrockers cut the lead down to four, but another 4-1 run from the Eagles put the set out of reach. CSC squashed the idea of any comeback SDSM had with a 3-0 run and another Hurtado kill to end the set.
The Eagles jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the fourth, but a 9-2 run from the Hardrockers enabled them to take the lead at 10-8 over the Eagles. There were five ties and three lead changes throughout the set, but SDSM went on a 5-1 run to end it. A Dejah Behrend kill gave the fourth set to the Hardrockers.
The momentum SDSM created in the fourth set carried over to the fifth set as it quickly ran out to a 7-2 lead. The Eagles fought back to cut the lead down to four at 8-12, but it was not enough to get the set in CSC’s advantage. The Hardrockers ended the set on a 3-0 run to take the match.
The Eagles hit .182 on the night led by Fujiyama who hit .400. Bella Adams hit .235 to help the attack. The Eagles totaled 9.4 kills per set on the night, with Fujiyama and Ferguson leading the way with 10 each. Adams added nine, while Fago added eight.
Rylee Greiman, playing libero in all five sets, led the team in digs with 15, and Hurtado added 14, which contributed to the 57 CSC totaled.
At the net the Eagles totaled nine blocks, with Fujiyama leading the way with six.
With the loss, as well as wins by Fort Lewis and SDSM, CSC falls out of mathematical contention for the RMAC Tournament at 5-12 in league play. Mines, at 11-14 (8-9 RMAC), sets itself up to tie for at least seventh, with potential tiebreakers between the Hardrockers, UCCS, and Fort Lewis pending.
CSC will host Black Hills State on Saturday November 5, at the Chicoine Center at 6 p.m. It is Senior Night and the season finale for the Eagles volleyball team.