FIRST SERVE
The South Dakota Coyotes (11-8, 8-2) return to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for Thursday's 7 p.m. contest against Kansas City (17-6, 8-3).

THE COYOTES
South Dakota enters a critical home weekend in third place in the Summit League, tied with Oral Roberts its Saturday opponent, and a game back in the loss column from first-place Omaha (10-1) and Denver (9-1). 
Elizabeth Juhnke, who has reached double figures in kills in all but one match, leads the offensive attack at 3.52 kills per set. The junior averages 3.72 kills per set in league play to go with 2.90 digs per set. 
Madison Harms, a junior, is contributing 2.50 kills per set and senior Sami Slaughter 2.49 for a team that is averaging 12.51 kills per set while posting a .237 attack percentage in all matches. 
Aimee Adams, a junior, adds 1.89 kills per set and senior Maddie Wiedenfeld 1.58 for an offense directed by senior setter Madison Jurgens who is at 9.84 assists per set. 
South Dakota ranks second in the Summit League in blocks per set (2.34) as Harms, who leads the Summit League in solo blocks with 19, is averaging 1.26 blocks per set, second in the Summit.
Harms also ranks second in the Summit League and 22nd nationally in hitting percentage at .409 while Wiedenfeld is eighth at .289. 
Defensively, senior libero Lolo Weideman is averaging 4.37 digs per set while Jurgens is at 1.92. 

LAST TIME OUT
South Dakota posted a four-set win over South Dakota State to sweep the South Dakota Showdown series for the sixth-straight season. 
Juhnke had 19 kills, Slaughter 12 and Harms 11 while posting no errors and hitting .688. Jurgens had 42 assists, 11 digs and two aces and reached the 1,000 career dig mark in the contest. 
Brooklyn Bollweg had 12 digs and two aces while Weideman had nine digs and seven assists. Harms posted three solo and two assisted blocks in the win. 

KANSAS CITY
Kansas City, sitting a half game behind South Dakota and Oral Roberts in the Summit League standings, is 5-1 in its last six matches, all going three sets. The last time the Roos had to play more than three sets was against the Coyotes on Oct. 2, a five-setter won by the visitors in Kansas City.
Melanie Brecka, the Summit League Player of the Year in 2020, ranks third in the Summit League at 3.58 kills per set to pace the offensive attack that averages 13.20 kills per set while hitting .229. 
De'Janae Arnold, who ranks third in the Summit League with a .400 hitting percentage, is averaging 2.49 kills per set while Odyssey Warren is at 2.52.
Bree Thompson, who has seen more action during league play, is up to 3.13 kills per set in the team's 11 league matches. 
Alli Schomers, the Summit League Setter of the Year in 2020, ranks second nationally in total assists with 925 while her 10.88 assists per set average is 18th best nationally. 
Maddie Renn is the Summit League leader in digs per set at 4.52 while Brecka is at 3.02, Schomers 2.29 and Kennedy Schritenthal 2.21. 

LAST TIME OUT
Kansas City swept North Dakota State at home getting 12 kills from Arnold and 10 from Thompson. 
Brecka had 10 digs while Schomers posted 37 assists and nine digs.

THE SERIES
South Dakota leads the Division I era series 7-5 with the last four matches and seven of the 12 have gone five sets. 

UP NEXT
The Coyotes will be back inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Saturday, Oct. 30 against Oral Roberts.