University of South Dakota Athletics

Friday:
7:30 p.m. (CT) – USD vs. Wyoming | Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Saturday:
11 a.m. (CT) — USD vs. Portland | Live Stats
6 p.m. (CT) – USD vs. Abilene Christian | Live Stats
 
Defending Summit League champion South Dakota begins its season Friday by competing in the Rumble in the Rockies hosted by University of Wyoming. It marks the second time in three years that the Coyotes have opened a season in Laramie and their first matchup with the host Cowgirls since. South Dakota beat Abilene Christian, 3-1, last year in Omaha, and is facing Portland for the first time.
 
South Dakota returns four starters from last year's team, which won a program-record 25 matches and finished 13-3 in the Summit. Senior Brittany Jessen is a two-time Summit League Setter of the Year who stands with 3,743 assists, second-most in program history. Elizabeth Loschen is the reigning Summit League Freshman of the Year after finishing second on the team in kills with 252 and third in blocks with 46. Senior middle blocker Kelly Law and junior outside hitter Hayley Dotseth also return to the Yotes' lineup.
 
There will certainly be a new dynamic to the team as its looks to replace 2016 Summit League Player of the Year Audrey Reeg, who slammed down 432 kills last season. The team is also without top libero Lauren Mattison, a junior who will miss 2017 due to injury.
 
In all, USD has 10 letter winners back from its championship team and has added three freshmen and two other players competing as Coyotes for the first time.
 
The opponents:
 
Wyoming Cowgirls [18-13, 11-7 MWC in 2016]
 
The Cowgirls finished fourth in the Mountain West and are picked to finish fourth in this year's preseason poll. Wyoming must replace both of its all-conference performers from last year in Laura Beach and Kayla Slofkiss, its top two hitters, and also setter Courtney Chacon. Back is junior Reed Copeland, the 2015 MWC Freshman of the Year and the second-leading blocker in the conference last season, and sophomore Madi Fields, the Cowgirls' top back-row player. True freshman Marissa Harmon was the setter and redshirt freshman Jackie McBride was also in the starting lineup for Wyoming's exhibition match against Northern Colorado back on Aug. 18.
 
Portland Pilots [17-13, 10-8 WCC in 2016]
 
The Pilots return four starters from a team that finished in a three-way tie for third place in the West Coast Conference. Included is senior Hannah Troutman, a first-team all-WCC honoree, who led Portland with 287 kills and was second on the team in digs with 240. Also back is Cali Thompson who landed on the WCC All-Freshmen Team last year after finishing second in the conference with 9.9 assists per set.
 
The team's six newcomers include highly touted freshmen Liz Reich, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and 5-foot-11 outside hitter Kassidy Naone from Hawai'i.
 
Abilene Christian Wildcats [12-19, 11-5 Southland in 2016]
 
The Wildcats finished third in the Southland last season, but are picked to finish sixth despite returning five of seven starters including first-team all-conference pick Jacey Smith, who led the team with 324 kills and 379 points last season. Angela Mooney, a former assistant coach at Ole Miss and a four-year letter winner at Texas Tech, begins her tenure as coach of the Wildcats. In addition to the returners, Mooney brought in five freshmen and added three transfers.