BHSU volleyball, Haines start national tournament run today

The Black Hills State University volleyball team is back in the NAIA national tournament and starts its quest for the national title today.

Kayla Haines, a 2006 Mitchell High School graduate, has been a key player for the Yellow Jackets. She is third on the team with 234 kills on the year and is averaging 1.8 kills per set. She is also fourth on the team with an average 0.8 blocks per set and is third on the team with 103 total blocks this season.

BHSU (24-11) takes on Doane College today in the first round of the national tournament. Doane beat the Yellow Jackets 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-15) at the Bronco Classic in Hastings, Neb.

Doane is making its eighth overall appearance in the national tournament and its first back-to-back appearances.

Black Hills State, which also made a run at the national title last season, made it to the tournament this year by winning the Dakota Athletic Conference tournament and taking down regular-season champion Jamestown in four sets.

In last year’s national tournament, BHSU beat William Penn in five sets in the opening round.

Kristin Engle leads the Yellow Jackets with 440 kills and 235 total blocks on the year. She and Maggie O’Neill both earned first-team all conference honors. Haines, Mandy Brumfield and Carina Sweet were named to the all-DAC second team.

Today’s winner advances to Sioux City, Iowa, for pool play Dec. 2-4.

Tags: kayla haines, sports, bhsu, volleyball