FIRST SERVE
The South Dakota Coyotes (19-9, 15-3) will face Omaha (20-9, 16-2) in Saturday's 2 p.m. Summit League Championship match inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
The winner receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

THE COYOTES
South Dakota, seeking a third NCAA appearance in the last four seasons, had to outlast South Dakota State in a five-set semifinal on Friday.
Elizabeth Juhnke, who has reached double figures in kills in all but one match, leads the offensive attack at 3.86 kills per set, the best in the Summit League. The six-foot junior also averages 3.00 digs per set and produced 16 double-doubles (kills/digs) on the season.
Fifth-year Senior Sami Slaughter averages 2.57 kills per set while junior Madison Harms contributes 2.57 kills per set for a team that is averaging 13.08 kills per set while posting a .252 attack percentage in all matches, good for second-best in the Summit.
Aimee Adams, a junior, adds 1.92 kills per set and senior Maddie Wiedenfeld 1.65 for an offense directed by senior setter Madison Jurgens who is at 10.40 assists per set. 
South Dakota ranks second in the Summit League in blocks per set (2.29) as Harms is second in the Summit at 1.24 blocks per set.
Harms leads the Summit League in hitting percentage while ranking 12th nationally at .417 while Wiedenfeld ranks ninth at .307.
Defensively, senior libero Lolo Weideman is tied for the Summit League lead, averaging 4.58 digs per set while Jurgens is at 2.21 and Brooklyn Bollweg 1.64.
During Summit League play, the Coyotes led the league in hitting percentage at .290.

ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE
Four Coyotes were honored on the All-Summit League teams as Elizabeth Juhnke and Madison Harms were named to the First team and Madison Jurgens and Sami Slaughter were honorable mention selections.
Juhnke, a junior and now three-time first-team selection, ranked second in league play in kills per set (4.08) and first in total kills (290) while also producing 212 digs and 33 total blocks as South Dakota finished second at 15-3 in the Summit League. The Lakeville, Minn., native, had 10 double-doubles during league play and reached double digits in kills in 17 of 18 league matches played.
Harms, a junior from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, led the Summit League in hitting percentage (.440) while ranking third in blocks per set (1.25) during league play. The repeat first-team selection also contributed 178 kills, 14 solo and 71 assisted blocks from her middle blocker position. Her 23 overall solo blocks on the season are tied for the most in school history during the 25-point rally scoring era. She produced nine matches of over 10 kills during league play while having a hitting percentage over .450 in 11 of 18 league matches.
Jurgens, a senior from O'Dell, Nebraska, earns honorable mention honors for the third time in four seasons. The setter ranked third in Summit League play with 10.86 assists per set while also contributing 29 service aces and 165 digs and 15 total blocks. She recorded at least 30 assists in all but one Summit League match and posted seven double-doubles in league play.
Slaughter, a senior from Harrisburg, S.D., ranked 10th in the Summit League and second on the team in kills per set during league play at 2.72. She added 50 digs and 44 total blocks in league play. She posted a season-high 22 kills during a five-set win at Kansas City and recorded double digit kills in nine of 18 league matches.

LAST TIME OUT
South Dakota gutted out a five-set win over rival South Dakota State winning for the 14th straight time in the rivalry. It was the first five-set match between the two since 2012 and just the third in the team's 25 Division I encounters, a series the Coyotes lead now 23-2. South Dakota has now won 12 straight at home over the Jacks, who last won in Vermillion during the 2002 season. 
Juhnke produced her 16th double-double on the season with 23 kills and 19 digs while Harms had 15 kills and hit .481 in a match that saw both teams have match point opportunities. 
Slaughter added 10 kills and Wiedenfeld nine while Jurgens posted 59 assists and 11 digs. Weideman had 20 digs while Bollweg and Adams added 13 digs apiece. 

CAREER LISTS
Juhnke moved up to seventh on the career kills list with 1,2291. Next on the list is Kristen Miller (2002-2005) with 1,324.
Jurgens sits third on the career assists list with 4,616, a total that ranks sixth in Summit League history. She is 23 assists shy of Tori Kroll (2010-13), who sits in second on the school's career list with 4,639.
Jurgens sits third on the service aces list with 152 and is only three away from Amber Kobus (2005-08) in second.
Weideman is in 8th on the career digs list with 1,355. Next on the list is Kari Hanafan (1991-94) with 1,357.

COSIDA
Junior Aimee Adams (4.0 GPA, Nursing) was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team, becoming just the fourth Coyote to earn that distinction in the team's Division I era. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Madison Jurgens
"Knowing we're going to have a home court advantage during the tournament is a huge stress reliever. Our fans help us more than they know in games and knowing they will be there for the most important games of the season is really exciting. Imagining the arena full and loud for a conference championship is surreal."
Sami Slaughter
"Getting to play in Vermillion for my senior year conference tournament means everything to me. Getting the opportunity to play on our home court with our home crowd will not only boost our play on the court but make it more memorable for me as I leave this program. Being able to host also has shown how hard we have worked in the season not just this year but in the past. I'm excited to step into the SCSC this weekend and give it everything we got. Go Yotes."
Maddie Wiedenfeld
"Its an amazing feeling knowing that we get to play for the Summit League Championship on our home court. Our fans have been supporting us all season long. Getting to play these games in front of them is huge for us. We are so excited for this weekend and we can't wait to do it with our home fan base!!"
Brooklyn Bollweg
"It's an amazing opportunity to play in front of our home crowd at the Summit League Tournament. Last year our fans really showed up in Sioux Falls to give us that feeling of a home court advantage, but there is something different about playing in the SCSC. It's exciting to finally host in Vermillion and reap the rewards of winning the Summit League Regular Season title in 2019. Running out of the tunnel to all of our fans is an indescribable feeling, and I can't wait to see how Coyote Nation shows out on Friday night."

HOME SWEET HOME
South Dakota is 11-1 at home this season and overall they are 54-11 inside the Sanfod Coyote Sports Center since the facility opened in 2016. 

SCOUTING OMAHA
Omaha advanced to the title game with a four-set win over Oral Roberts in Friday's semifinals. 
The Mavericks are playing in their second Summit League Championship match in three seasons having dropped the 2019 final in four sets to Denver.
Sadie Limback, the Summit League player of the year, is averaging 3.79 kills per set and 2.10 digs per set while producing a .340 hitting percentage. 
Marriah Buss is at 2.95 ills per set and McKenna Ruch 2.29 for a offense directed by Summit League setter of the year Sami Clarkson, the league leader at 11.14 assists per set. 
Claire Mountjoy, a fifth-year senior, is the defensive leader at 4.05 digs per set while libero Jaiden Centeno averages 3.93. Mountjoy is currently fourth on the Summit's all-time charts with 2,244 digs. 
Rylee Marshall, who adds 1.49 kills per set, is the team's leader in blocks at 1.01 per set. 

SEMIFINAL MATCH
Omaha had 72 kills, the most in a four-set match in Summit League this season, while hitting .348 during its four-set semifinal win over Oral Roberts.
Limback had a double-double with 21 kills and 18 digs while Buss had 20 kills and freshman Shayla McCormick 15. 
Clarkson had 61 assists while Centeno had 20 digs and Mountjoy 12. McCormick, a member of the Summit League All-Freshman team, also had a double-double in the match, adding 16 digs. 

THE SERIES
This is the second time ever the two teams will meet in the Summit League tournament and the first time in the title match.
The team's split a pair of matches during the regular season, each winning on the other's home floor as Omaha was the lone team to defeat South Dakota inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this season.
South Dakota leads the Division I era series 16-7

UP NEXT
The winner of Saturday's championship match will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Selections will take place on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m.