First Serve
South Dakota hits the road this weekend to take on Denver at 7 p.m. Thursday before heading to Omaha for a 3 p.m. matchup on Saturday. It is the first set of rematches in the Summit's double round robin format and it features three of the top four teams. South Dakota sits atop the league at 7-1. Defending regular season champion Omaha is a half-game behind at 7-2. Denver, which has won six of the last eight regular season crowns, is 6-3. North Dakota State, picked seventh in the preseason, is playing spoiler at 6-2.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota (18-2) has won five in a row since a 3-2 loss at North Dakota State back on Sept. 27. The Coyotes' last three results were 3-0 sweeps. Junior all-American outside hitter Elizabeth Juhnke continues to lead the nation in kills. Middle blocker Madison Harms added double-digit kills in three of those five wins and is coming off an 11-kill performance last time out in which she hit .611 (11-0-18), her second-highest percentage of the season.
 
Fifth-year defensive specialist Lolo Weideman continues to lead the Summit in digs per set and junior Brooklyn Schram is second in assists. In addition to boasting one of the top hitting percentages in the league, the Coyotes lead the Summit in digs, are second in blocks, and are holding foes to a conference-low .152 hitting percentage.
 
The Pioneers
Denver (12-8) split a pair of home matches with the North Dakota schools last week. The Pioneers' three Summit losses have come against each of the top three teams in USD, Omaha and NDSU. They stay home this week to take on South Dakota and South Dakota State (Sat.).
 
Denver remains one of the top-five blocking teams in the nation. That's due in large part to senior middle blocker Brianna Green who leads the Summit and ranks seventh nationally with 1.5 blocks per set.
Green had six blocks and four kills earlier this year against South Dakota. She was shutout in a 3-0 loss to NDSU last week, but came back with eight blocks and 11 kills in a five-set win against North Dakota.
 
Denver's other middle blocker named Green, sophomore Hailey Green, leads the Pioneers and ranks fifth in the Summit with 3.47 kills per set. Pittsburgh graduate transfer Jordan Lockwood leads the team in total kills and has the third-most digs. Senior setter Lorrin Poulter is a threat from the service line and is coming off a career-high 59 assists last time out.
 
The Mavericks
Omaha (12-7) has lost just one set since dropping back-to-back road matches to South Dakota and South Dakota State to begin the Summit League slate. Sophomore outside hitter Shayla McCormick and junior middle blocker McKenna Ruch swept Summit League performers of the week honors last week. McCormick ranks third in the Summit in kills. Ruch is right behind Brianna Green among the top blockers in the nation.
 
Omaha leads the league with 13.9 kills per set. The Mavericks had four hitters reach double-figure kills in Saturday's 3-1 win against North Dakota State. Outside hitters Marriah Buss and Kali Jurgensmeier aid those efforts. Buss added 21 kills in Omaha's 3-2 loss to South Dakota earlier this season, while Ruch put up a match-high 10 blocks.
 
The Series
South Dakota has won seven of eight against Denver, though the teams split last year's regular season series with both teams defending their home courts. Six of the last nine duals have required a fifth set. USD is 18-7 against Omaha at the Division I level. The Coyotes won two of three from Omaha last season including a 3-0 win in the Summit League Tournament championship match in Vermillion.
 
Record Breaking Play for the Coyotes

• Juhnke recorded a league record 39 kills in South Dakota's five-set match against NDSU on Sept. 27. The 39 kills set a USD program record and set the mark for most kills in a match in the NCAA this season.
• Juhnke also set a USD three-set program record with 24 kills in South Dakota's 3-0 sweep of Oral Roberts last week.
• Harms recorded a career-high 12 blocks in USD's 3-1 win over Denver on Sept. 24, which tied the four-set program record.
• Weideman also hit a career-mark in the Denver match, totaling 34 digs and matching the four-set program record.

 
Up Next 
South Dakota hosts South Dakota State on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. to fight for another point in the South Dakota Showdown series. From there, the Coyotes head to North Dakota to face the Fighting Hawks on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.