Box Score GREELEY, Colo.—South Dakota finished off the Northern Colorado Classic in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 win over Air Force. The scores went 25-12, 17-25, 25-27, 25-18, and 15-13. The Coyotes finished 2-1 overall at the classic.
 
Denise Ssozi ended the match with a double-double for the Falcons, recording 16 kills and ten digs. Andi Ahlers had 25 of the Falcons 54 assists while Shanleigh Conlan had the remaining 24 assists.
 
Who Stood Out
Three Coyotes recorded double-digit kills against the Falcons. Hayley Dotseth led the team with 14 kills while Meagan Kerns and Kelly Law both added ten. Anne Rasmussen led the team on the defensive end with 19 digs. Dotseth and Brittany Jessen contributed nine digs each. Jessen ended with a match-high 44 assists.
 
Turning Point
South Dakota and Air Force battled back and forth from the first set. In the middle of set four, Rasmussen set Dotseth up for a kill to put South Dakota ahead 12-10. The Coyotes continued on a 15-8 run with Jessen serving the last four points. An attack error by Ssozi gave the Coyotes set four.
 
A highly contested fifth set had seven ties and one lead change. The Coyotes took the lead for good at 13-12 on a kill by Dotseth. The final 15-13 score came from an assisted block by Kerns and Dotseth.
 
Notables

• This was the first meeting between South Dakota and Air Force.
• The ten kills from Kerns are her second-best for the season.
• The Falcons took the lead for the first time in the second set.

 
Up Next
South Dakota has its home opener and first Summit League match at 7 p.m. Friday against Western Illinois. The Coyotes remain home Saturday with a 7 p.m. match against North Dakota State.