SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota senior
Anne Rasmussen, junior
Sami Slaughter and sophomore
Madison Jurgens were named Players to Watch in conjunction with the Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Wednesday.
South Dakota, coming off a 21-10 campaign and the school's first-ever Summit League Tournament title and NCAA Division I Tournament berth, was picked to finish second in the league. The Coyotes garnered 59 points in the voting from the league coaches, just two points behind Denver.
Denver, the five-time Summit League regular season champions, received five of the nine first-place votes and tallied 61 points. South Dakota received four first-place votes.
"We are extremely excited for this season," said coach
Leanne Williamson. "Our team has worked really hard since the end of last season and we are ready to start our new journey!
"The league will once again be tough and we will expect a tough match every night. Our goal is to take this season one match at a time, and we believe that our non-conference schedule will set us up to be prepared for conference."
Rasmussen, last season's Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, led the league at 5.44 digs per set, a total that ranked 18
th nationally in NCAA Division I. Her 604 total digs were third-most in single season history for the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, native who is a two-time All-Summit League selection.
Jurgens, in her first season as the starting setter, ranked second in the Summit League at 10.48 assists per set. The Odell, Nebraska, product was named to the All-Summit League Freshman Team and earned honorable mention All-Summit League honors in her redshirt freshman season.
Slaughter, a transfer from Nebraska, is one of a deep core of hitters looking to fill the void left by the graduation losses of Summit League Player of the Year
Hayley Dotseth and Summit League Tournament MVP
Taylor Wilson. In total, the Coyotes lost three of the team's top four hitters to graduation.
The Coyotes will host Minnesota State in an exhibition match on Saturday at 7 p.m.
2019 Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st) |
2018 Record (SL) |
| 1. |
Denver |
61 (5) |
27-3 (15-0) |
| 2. |
South Dakota |
59 (4) |
21-10 (13-3) |
| 3. |
Omaha |
51 |
17-12 (12-4) |
| T4. |
Purdue Fort Wayne |
35 |
18-14 (8-8) |
| T4. |
Oral Roberts |
35 |
9-19 (6-10) |
| 6. |
North Dakota |
31 |
14-18 (6-9) |
| 7. |
North Dakota State |
29 |
9-20 (6-10) |
| 8. |
South Dakota State |
13 |
6-23 (3-13) |
| 9. |
Western Illinois |
10 |
3-26 (2-14) |
