VERMILLION, S.D. – A season-high hitting percentage ushered South Dakota past arch-rival South Dakota State in Friday's Summit League volleyball match inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center, 25-18, 25-15, 25-11.
 
The Coyotes, posting the season sweep over the Jackrabbits, had 45 kills and just eight errors in the match for a .359 hitting percentage.
 
South Dakota, though, used strong services runs in all three sets to go along with its strong passing game that allowed its offense to run at such a high clip.
 
The Coyotes trailed 12-6 early in the first set before a seven-point Taylor Wilson service run carried to a big 19-6 run to close out the set.
 
"It just goes to show how efficient we can be offensively when we get ourselves in system, when you win the serve and pass battle and dig into transition," Coach Leanne Williamson said. "You saw some big kills, you saw us go on some big runs and it really started with our serves."
 
Anne Rasmussen, who had 12 digs in the match, had a five-point service run during the second set while a pair of five-set service runs in the third set came when Lolo Weideman and Hayley Dotseth were behind the service line.
 
Dotseth tallied 15 kills and just three errors while Wilson chipped in 10 kills and only one error. Claire Gerdes added a career-high eight kills in her first start during Summit League play.
 
"Claire, she did great, she has had a really good two weeks of practice and we were excited to give her the ability to start today," said Williamson. "She really ran with it once we really got going you could see that confidence rise and even Madison's (Jurgens) confidence in getting her the ball more often."
 
Madison Jurgens finished with 35 assists to go with three kills and six digs as South Dakota moved to 13-8 overall and 7-2 in the Summit League.
 
The Coyotes take a 2-1 led in the South Dakota Showdown Series with their seventh straight win in the series and will return home on Sunday to host Oral Roberts at 2 p.m.