VERMILLION, S.D. – The South Dakota volleyball team has added four non-conference matches to its 2021 spring schedule.
 
Coach Leanne Williamson's squad will open its 2021 season participating in the Missouri State Tournament on Jan. 22-23. The Coyotes will then play a home-and-home series against Creighton, a NCAA Tournament team in 2019.
 
South Dakota will play Wichita State to open the season on Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. inside the Hammons Student Center on the Missouri State campus. The Coyotes will wrap up the two-day event against host Missouri State at 3 p.m. on Jan. 23.
 
The Coyotes will trek down Interstate 29 to face Creighton on Jan. 29 for a 7 p.m. first serve inside D.J. Sokol Arena. The home opener inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center is Sunday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.

"We are so excited that we were able to find such quality matches for our program to play this season before conference begins," Williamson said. "In a year where our preseason has been shortened, these tough matches were critical for our team to play. I have no doubt that this team will grow with each challenge!
 
"It has been over a year since our last match, so we are very excited to get back on the court and do what we all love!"
 
Wichita State posted a 9-19 record in 2019 while finishing tied for fifth in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) with a 6-10 mark. This is just the second all-time meeting between the Shockers and Coyotes, with the Shockers taking the previous match in 2013.
 
Missouri State went 10-22 during the 2019 season and tied for sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 7-11 record. The Lady Bears, though, are 2-0 after having posted sweeps over Little Rock and Central Arkansas during the fall. Missouri State and South Dakota will be meeting for the first-time ever.
 
Creighton was ranked 16^th in the final American Volleyball Coaches Top 25 poll in 2019 after falling in the NCAA Second Round to Minnesota. The Jays finished 25-6 and were 17-1 in the Big East.
 
South Dakota and Creighton have previously faced each other five times during the Coyotes Division I era, the last meeting coming in the 2018 NCAA Tournament First Round.
 
Season tickets for Coyote volleyball are available online at https://bit.ly/2Jxbg7Y, or by calling the USD ticket office at 605-677-5959.