VERMILLION, S.D. – Kansas City, for the second straight night, rallied from a 2-1 set deficit to hand South Dakota a five-set loss in a Summit League battle Saturday evening inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
The Roos, now up to 13-1 overall and in Summit League play in their first season back in the league since 2012, will play for the league regular season title next week at home against Denver, now 11-2 in league play after sweeping a pair of matches against North Dakota State.
 
"A tough loss," coach Leanne Williamson said. "I feel like our team was way more stressed this weekend than what we have been really since the beginning of the season and that's a testament to what Kansas City did against us. Defensively, they made a lot of plays that frustrated our attackers."
 
South Dakota, meanwhile, falls to 10-3 in league play and sits in third place heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Fourth-place Omaha is at 10-4.
 
The top four teams have already clinched berths into the Summit League tournament, held April 2-3 at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
 
Kansas City got a match-high 23 kills and 13 digs from Melanie Brecka, the Summit League leader in kills per set. Alli Schomers had 51 assists for a team that produced 65 kills and hit .222 despite 24 attack errors.
 
The Coyotes, suffering their fifth five-set loss of the season, got 15 kills and a career-high 23 digs from Elizabeth Juhnke. Madison Harms provided a career-high 14 kills while hitting .520 and Sami Slaughter had 12.
 
"Being up 2-1 going into that fourth set, just didn't execute again," Williamson said. "We pressed a little bit, weren't as composed through some stressful situations and ultimately put ourselves in position to be in a fifth set again."
 
Madison Jurgens contributed 43 assists and nine digs while Lolo Weideman had 21 digs.
 
South Dakota, though, had a season-high 29 attack errors and hit only .154 in a back-and-forth match that saw 21 ties and 11 lead changes.
 
"I think there are a lot of things we can learn from this weekend, weather its easy or hard to do," Williamson added. "We're definitely frustrated, a lot of things that we can take form tonight that's going to make us better in the end and if anything, I'm glad it's happening now, that we can work through it and get better next weekend and beyond."
 
The Coyotes close the regular season with a pair of afternoon matches on Friday (1 p.m.) and Saturday (Noon) at Western Illinois.