FIRST SERVE
The South Dakota Coyotes (6-7) will travel to Sioux Falls to play a match inside the Sanford Pentagon against Summit League newcomer St. Thomas (2-13) at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

THE COYOTES
South Dakota is 3-1 in Summit League play having split a pair of road matches, falling at Oral Roberts and defeating Kansas City in a five-set thriller. 
The Coyotes are paced by junior outside hitter Elizabeth Juhnke at 3.44 kills per set and 3.12 digs per set. The returning first-team All-Summit League performer is up to 3.75 kills per set and 3.56 digs per set in league play. Juhnke has reached double figures in kills in all 13 matches and has registered eight double-doubles on the season.
Sami Slaughter, a fifth-year senior, is averaging 2.62 kills per set while junior Madison Harms is right behind at 2.54. Aimee Adams, a junior, and Maddie Wiedenfeld, a senior, chip in 1.82 and 1.58 kills per set, respectively for the South Dakota offense.
The offense is directed by senior setter Madison Jurgens, who ranks third overall in Summit League at 9.92 assists per set. She ranks second in league play at 11.38 assists per set. 
The Coyotes boast a .317 team hitting percentage in the four Summit League matches, tops in conference play, while its 13.88 kills per set average in league play ranks third. 
Defensively, senior libero Lolo Weideman ranks third in the Summit League at 4.58 digs per set. 
Harms averages 1.21 blocks per set and Wiedenfeld 0.82 for a team that ranks second to Denver in Summit League in blocks per set at 2.38.

LAST TIME OUT
Slaughter (22 kills) and Harms (16 kills) each produced career highs as the Coyotes posted a five-set road win at Kansas City. Madison Jurgens equaled her season and career-high with 57 assists while Lolo Weideman had 25 digs. 

CAREER MARKS
Juhnke moved past Michelle Hesse (1996) into 10th on the school's career kills list with 1,038. Weideman moved past Carol Logato (2011) into 16th place on the school's career digs list with 1,080. Jurgens is 32 assists away from becoming just the third Coyote to reach 4,000 career assists. 

ST. THOMAS
St. Thomas is currently 1-4 in Summit League playing having posted a five-set win over North Dakota. 
The Tommies 6-2 offense is paced by freshman Lauren Galvin at 3.21 kills per set. Freshman Libby Mattila averages 1.83 kills per set while Fran Egan, a senior, chips in 1.65.
The setters are Ella Fitzgerald, a freshman, who averages 2.86 assists per set and junior Amelia Wherland, who averages 1.77 assists per set.
Defensively, Carrie Rutledge, a senior, averages 2.86 digs per set while Galvin is at 2.33. 
Head coach Thanh Pham is in his 19th season and owns over 450 wins at St. Thomas, including the 2012 Division II national championship. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Tommies dropped a three-set match against Western Illinois at home on Tuesday. 
Galvin and Mattila each had 12 kills in the setback while Fitzgerald had 14 assists and Wherland 12. Rutledge had 18 digs to lead the defensive effort. 

THE SERIES
This will be the first meeting between the schools during the Division I era. The two teams have met once previously on Sept. 11, 1992 in Mankato where St. Thomas posted a 3-0 victory. 

UP NEXT
The Coyotes will return to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center to host Western Illinois at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday followed by North Dakota at 7 p.m. on Monday.