DULUTH, MINN. - The record-breaking season by The University of South Dakota women's volleyball team ended in a 3-0 loss (17-30, 23-30, 24-30) to the nation's number one team and top seed Minnesota-Duluth in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs on Thursday night in Duluth, Minn.

With the loss, the Coyotes finished the season with a 23-9 record. The 23 wins by USD set a school record as the Coyotes earned their second-ever playoff berth. USD is now 1-3 in playoff matches. Minnesota-Duluth improved to 28-1 and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament. UMD will face Nebraska-Omaha which defeated Augustana, 3-1. The other semifinal will be Concordia St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State.

Kathleen Hruska (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.), who was named second team all-region by Daktronics this week, led the Coyotes with 11 kills on 27 attacks and hit .222. Hruska finished the season with 476 kills, a total which ranks second on the USD all-time season chart. She added a service ace and two solo blocks. The Coyotes also received eight kills from Kristin Kritenbrink (Fr., Gretna, Neb.), who hit a team-best .273. Sophomore setter Gina Baldwin (Mitchell, S.D.) had 30 assists and finished the season with 1,452 which ranks second on USD's season chart. Libero Amber Kobus (Columbus, Neb.), who was the NCC's Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 10 digs and broke her own record for digs in a season with 616 (615, 2006). In addition, USD received a team-high 11 digs from Jamie VanderKooi (So., Merrill, Iowa).

Overall, the Coyotes hit .185 with 31 kills on 108 attacks and 11 errors. USD totaled 30 assists, two service aces, 41 digs and five team blocks.

UMD, which was led by Sarah Wyffels' 16 kills, hit .319 as a team with 62 kills on 135 attacks and 19 errors. The Bulldogs recorded 58 assists, 58 digs and four team blocks. UMD setter Katie Gangelhoff had a match-high 56 set assists.

The Bulldogs jumped to a 1-0 lead with a 30-17 game one decision. UMD outhit USD, .208 (17K-7E-48A) to .128 (9K-4E-39A) in rolling to the victory. After trailing 4-1, the Coyotes tied the match at 8-8 with a 7-4 run. However, the Bulldogs had a 8-4 run to gain control of the game. UMD pushed the lead to 24-15 on a kill by All-American Vicky Braegelman. From that point, UMD outscored USD, 6-2, to secure the first game. The Coyotes received four kills from both Hruska and Kritenbrink in game one.

UMD, which led the NCC in hitting percentage, captured game two by a 30-23 score as the Bulldogs hit .298 (23K-9E-47A). Meanwhile, the Coyotes struggled offensively by hitting just .114 (7K-3E-35A). In a game that included three ties and two lead changes, UMD opened up a 10-7 lead before USD rallied to take a 12-11 lead on a kill by Hruska. UMD responded with a 6-0 run for a 17-12 lead. The Coyotes managed to cut the lead to 21-19 but that was as close as they would get in the game. UMD received six kills from Danielle Beckstrand and five each from Wyffels, Kari Wolford and Braegelman.

The Bulldogs continued a strong hitting performance in a 30-24 game three win. UMD, which received nine kills on 10 attacks from Wyffels, hit .475 as a team with 22 kills on 40 attacks and three errors. USD had its best performance of the match with a .324 hitting percentage (15K-4E-34A). The Coyotes were led by Hruska and Heather Hult (Davis, S.D.), who each had four kills in game three. USD opened a 2-1 lead before UMD had a 9-6 run for a 10-8 advantage. The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 15-11 before the Coyotes closed to 20-18. Down, 22-20, the Coyotes were outscored 8-4 down the stretch.