FORT WAYNE, Indiana – South Dakota kept its momentum going on Sunday registering its fifth-straight Summit League sweep, this time over Purdue Fort Wayne inside Gates Sports Center, 26-24, 25-16, 25-22.
Taylor Wilson provided 15 kills and a .367 hitting percentage while
Hayley Dotseth recorded 13 kills and 11 digs as the Coyotes moved to 16-8 overall and 10-2 in the Summit League.
The two teams played a five-set thriller in Vermillion in late September but South Dakota earned the sweep this time around thanks to its toughness and ability to finish off close sets in set one and set three.
"I am very proud of our team for the way they fought today," Coach
Leanne Williamson said. "Fort Wayne is a very good team and we were able to control the pace of the game.
"Our team made some big defensive plays which allowed us to stay on the offensive in transition."
The Coyotes trailed 22-21 in the first set, led 24-22 before ultimately closing out the set with a Dotseth kill and a Mastodons attack error.
After controlling set two, South Dakota again had to fight to the end in set three, closing out the match by scoring the final three points after a 22-22 tie. Wilson had her 15
th kill of the match to make it 23-22 while an attacking error by Purdue Fort Wayne and a double block at the net from
Claire Gerdes and
Madison Jurgens would end it.
Jurgens contributed 35 assists, five kills and 11 digs in the match while
Anne Rasmussen had 25 digs.
Lolo Weideman also hit double digits with 11 digs.
"Anne led the team with 25 digs which is incredible, and Taylor led the offensive efforts with 15 kills which goes to show that we were in system." Williamson added.
The Coyotes have won the first two matches in the current three match in five days road swing that now takes them to Denver to face the league leaders. First serve on Tuesday is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.
"This road trip has proven that we can be very tough," said Williamson. "We get to finish it out on the road against Denver, which will prove to be another great match for us."
