RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Spearfish Spartans volleyball team battled Rapid City Stevens through three competitive sets Tuesday night at Carol Heier Gymnasium, but the Raiders found a way to pull away late in each set to earn a 3-0 victory.
Stevens won the match 25-19, 25-18 and 25-21. The loss dropped Spearfish to 7-9 on the season.
Spearfish finished the night with 26 kills, six service aces and 30 digs. Julia Billington and Taylor Burry led the Spartans with 10 points apiece.
Stevens Pulls Away Late in First Set
Spearfish came out strong, scoring the first three points of the match to take an early 3-0 lead. Stevens battled back to tie the set at 4 before the Spartans answered with another three-point run.
The Raiders responded again, and from there, neither team was able to create much separation.
Stevens eventually took a 21-19 advantage before scoring four unanswered points to close out a 25-19 first-set victory.
Spearfish recorded nine kills on 30 attacks in the opening set while hitting .167, its best team hitting percentage of the match.
Early Spearfish Run Not Enough in Second
Rapid City Stevens scored the opening point of the second set before Spearfish responded with six unanswered points.
The Raiders quickly countered with five straight points, setting up another back-and-forth stretch. Neither team led by more than a few points until Stevens created some separation late.
With the Raiders holding a 17-15 advantage, Stevens went on a run that pushed the lead to 22-15. The Raiders eventually finished off the set, 25-18, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Spearfish recorded seven kills in the second set but also committed seven attack errors.
Spartans Push Raiders Late in Third Set
Spearfish continued to battle in the third.
The Spartans built a 6-3 advantage before Stevens answered with four consecutive points. The teams continued trading runs before the Raiders eventually created an 18-14 lead.
Spearfish responded.
The Spartans erased the four-point deficit and tied the set at 20. The score was tied again at 21, putting Spearfish in position to extend the match, but Stevens scored the final four points to take the set, 25-21, and complete the sweep.
Spearfish had its highest kill total of the night in the third set, finishing with 10 kills on 34 attacks.
Billington, Burry Lead Spearfish Attack
Billington led Spearfish with nine kills on 29 attacks while adding seven digs and a block assist.
Burry put together an efficient night in the middle, recording seven kills without an attack error on 11 attempts for a .636 hitting percentage. She also recorded one solo block and two block assists.
Finley Bouman added four kills, while Layla Meredith finished with three kills and a team-high 11 assists. Piper Jacobs added nine assists.
At the service line, Addie Keller led Spearfish with six aces. The Spartans finished with six aces as a team.
Spearfish finished the match with 26 kills on 89 attacks and four total team blocks.
The Spartans will look to bounce back following the road loss as they continue their 2026 schedule.