VERMILLION, S.D. – A tremendous offensive performance highlighted the South Dakota volleyball team's four-set win over South Dakota State as Summit League play begin on Friday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
A big crowd of 1,548, the sixth-largest in Sanford Coyote Sports Center history, saw the Coyotes place four attackers in double figures, post a season-best .425 hitting percentage and earn a point in the South Dakota Showdown Series with a 19-25, 25-12, 25-22, 25-18 win over its rivals.
 
"What a great start to the Showdown Series," coach Leanne Williamson said. "To have over 1,500 fans, an amazing student section and a crowd that absolutely got involved in the match today.
 
"That's a great way to start the conference season, to start the Showdown Series and anytime you're playing that rival school it's great to see that amount of people who come out and support us."
 
Elizabeth Juhnke recorded her sixth double-double of the season, reached 20 kills in a match for the first time this season and had a season-high .395 hitting percentage. The junior also recorded 20 digs, another season-high.
 
Juhnke had six kills apiece in sets three and four, sets that South Dakota never trailed. She added five more kills in the closing fourth set.
 
Maddie Wiedenfeld posted a season-high 12 kills and hit .733 in the match while Sami Slaughter had 12 kills and Madison Harms 11 with a .526 hitting percentage. Aimee Adams added eight kills and hit .467.
 
The Coyotes offense produced 66 kills, an average of 16.5 per set, while the 12 errors matched the team's lowest of the season.
 
"Madison Jurgens did a great job of running our offense," said Williamson. "I think just as the season has progressed, just every week, just a little more confident, a little bit more like the Jurgs that we know and love, in terms of running our offense.
 
"She got everyone involved, we hit over .400 as a team, Maddie Wiedenfeld had three kills per set and hit over.700, both Juhnke and Harms hit over .400 and .500, respectively and Sami had some big kills for us as the match progressed.
 
"It was a great team win, definitely forced us to make some changes, but it's a great way to start conference 1-0."
 
Jurgens contributed a career-high 57 assists, an average of 14.25 per set for a Coyote offense that had at least 14 kills in all four sets in the match, the team's 12^th straight win over its in-state rivals.
 
Crystal Burk, the Summit League leader in kills per set, led the Jackrabbits with 20 kills, but no one else had more than six for a team that finished with 42 for the match.
 
South Dakota begins a three-match in five-day stretch with Tuesday's home contest against North Dakota State. Road trips to Oral Roberts on Thursday and Kansas City next Saturday close out the difficult stretch to begin league play.