SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota fifth-year senior
Sami Slaughter and junior
Elizabeth Juhnke were named Players to Watch in conjunction with the Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Wednesday.
South Dakota, coming off a 15-7 season, a Summit League tournament title and an NCAA Tournament Berth, was picked to win the league by the coaches. The Coyotes garnered 78 points in the voting from the league coaches, including six of the ten first place votes.
Denver, the Summit League regular season champions during the 2020 season that was played in the spring, received the other four first-place votes and tallied 76 points.
"We are excited to get back to work this fall," head coach
Leanne Williamson said. "We have scheduled extremely tough opponents for the non-conference to prepare us for Summit League play.
"The league has the potential to be the most competitive it's ever been during my time at South Dakota with the amount of returning players each team has. This season will present several opportunities that our team is excited about!"
Slaughter, a All-Summit League first-team selection in 2020, was the Coyotes second-leading hitter at 2.82 kills per set and 245 total kills. The Harrisburg, South Dakota, native, ranked eighth in the Summit League in kills per set. She produced a pair of 20-plus kill matches during the Summit League tournament in April. She also ranked 10
th in the Summit League in blocks per set (0.86).
Juhnke, a returning All-American, led the league at 4.17 kills per set and 346 total kills. The Lakeville, Minnesota, native, was named Summit League Tournament MVP during the Coyotes run to the tourney title. The all-rotation player also contributed 274 digs and 52 total blocks, 23 assists and 14 service aces during the 2020 season.
The Coyotes will open the 2021 season traveling to Colorado where a pair of Friday matches away them. They will play Northwestern of the Big Ten in Greeley, Colorado at Noon before traveling to Fort Collins to face Colorado State at 8 p.m. South Dakota concludes the season-opening road swing with a Saturday match at Northern Colorado.
2021 Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st) |
2020 Record (SL) |
| 1. |
South Dakota |
78 (6) |
16-7 (13-3) |
| 2. |
Denver |
76 (4) |
14-3 (13-2) |
| 3. |
Omaha |
62 |
13-6 (12-4) |
| 4. |
Kansas City |
60 |
13-4 (13-3) |
| 5. |
North Dakota State |
49 |
10-8 (8-8) |
| 6. |
Oral Roberts |
36 |
3-15 (3-13) |
| 7. |
South Dakota State |
35 |
6-11 (6-10) |
| 8. |
North Dakota |
23 |
2-16 (2-14) |
| 9. |
St. Thomas |
18 |
3-2 (0-0) |
| 10. |
Western Illinois |
13 |
2-15 (2-14) |
Players to Watch
Note: Players to Watch nominated by league's head coaches
Elizabeth Juhnke | South Dakota | Outside Hitter | Junior
Sami Slaughter | South Dakota | Outside Hitter | Fifth Year
Ellie Anderson | Denver | Setter | Graduate Student
Brianna Green | Denver | Middle Blocker | Junior
Sadie Limback | Omaha | Right Side | Senior
Sami Clarkson | Omaha | Setter | Junior
Melanie Brecka | Kansas City | Right Side | Senior
Alli Schomers | Kansas City | Setter | Graduate Student
Ali Hinze | North Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Sophomore
Syra Tanchin | North Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Junior
Aixa Vigil | Oral Roberts | Outside Hitter | Senior
Sarah Thiessen | Oral Roberts | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Redshirt Senior
Crystal Burk | South Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Senior
Tatum Pickar | South Dakota State | Defensive Specialist | Senior
Darian Chwialkowski | North Dakota | Libero | Senior
Lexi Ahrens | North Dakota | Middle Hitter | Senior
Fran Egan | St. Thomas | Senior
Grace Anetipa| St. Thomas | Senior
Peyton Bowman | Western Illinois | Middle | Senior
Aubrey Putman| Western Illinois | Outside Hitter | Junior
