Eagles swat Yellow Jackets

After suffering a string of losses on the road, Chadron State’s Lady Eagles are drawing confidence from their home opener victory against the Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets of Spearfish, S.D.

“Tonight, it’ll be a real confidence builder to have the home court,” Natasha Marquis, Chadron’s Head Volleyball Coach said before Tuesday night’s game in Armstrong Gymnasium.

Chadron’s squad approached the game against Black Hills without the aid of outside hitter Mollie Jones, who suffered an ankle injury in a loss against Western New Mexico University last Thursday.

“She’s a key player,” Marquis said. “Not having her on the floor is tough for all of us, including her.

The Eagles didn’t seem to miss a beat, though, in their handy 25-21, 26-24, 25-20 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Junior Lexi Hoagland of Rushville led the team with 10 kills and a hitting average of .421.  Kristina Harter, junior of Colorado Springs, Colo., contributed on the defensive end with a match-high count of 16 digs.

The Yellow Jackets also returned strong defensive numbers. Their front row players amassed 11 total team blocks, with junior Kylee Lamb of Onida, S.D., contributing nine block-assists. The Black Hills offense, however, faltered; three of their players returned negative hitting averages for a team total of just .110 to Chadron’s .179.

The Eagles are returning to the road this weekend and taking their high morale with them.

“We’re back now and we’re ready to get going,” said Hoagland.

Chadron seeks its first RMAC win against the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo., (7-4) Friday and the Colorado School of Mines, Golden,  Colo., (7-5), on Saturday.