How time flies! We enter our third year with South Dakota head coach
Dawn Plitzuweit on Wednesday as the Coyotes face Creighton in the team's season opener at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Omaha at the D.J. Sokol Arena.
The Game
Wednesday marks the season opener for both programs, beginning the 48th season of Coyote women's basketball. South Dakota is 33-14 all-time in season openers with Plitzuweit holding a 1-1 record. She began her career at South Dakota with a season-opening victory against SIUE in 2016. This game marks the beginning of one of the toughest nonconference slates in South Dakota women's basketball history.
The Coyotes
South Dakota (29-7, 14-0 Summit in 2017-18) brings back nine letterwinners and a trio of starters in senior
Allison Arens, junior
Ciara Duffy and junior
Madison McKeever. All three were picked to the Preseason All-Summit League teams. Additions to the defending Summit League championship squad include New Mexico transfer
Hannah Sjerven, a 6-2 post with a 6-5 wing span, along with a pair of 6-1 freshmen forwards in
Allison Peplowski and
Regan Sankey. The Coyotes look to continue the versatility of last year's well-rounded offense with the added length and size this season.
The Bluejays
Creighton (19-13, 11-7 Big East in 2017-18) lost three starters from last year's squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. However, they bring back five of their top-six point scorers led by senior Audrey Faber (14.8 ppg) and junior Jaylyn Agnew (14.5 ppg). Faber was named to the 2019 Katrina McClain Award Watch List, which recognizes the top power forward in NCAA Division I. The Bluejays, who reached the postseason for the 11th-straight year in 2018, were picked to finish fourth in the Big East Preseason Poll.
The Series
Creighton leads the all-time series 12-11 with nine of those victories coming in Omaha. The two programs have met in seven of the last eight seasons with the last three meetings taking place in Vermillion. The Coyotes won all three meetings, with a pair of postseason victories to advance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (2015, 2016). Wednesday's game is the second half of a home-and-home with Creighton after the Bluejays made the trip to Vermillion a year ago.
One Last Thing
One point away!
Allison Arens enters her senior campaign with 999 career points. A single free throw will make her South Dakota's 25th 1,000-point scorer in South Dakota women's basketball history.
