OMAHA, Neb. – South Dakota (20-2, 9-1 Summit) received a match-high 26 kills from
Elizabeth Juhnke in a four-set victory over Omaha. Game scores went 25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23.
With the win, the Coyotes extend their win streak to seven games and remain at the top of the league standings.
Who Stood Out
South Dakota had a healthy offensive effort tonight with three hitters in double digits. But it was Juhnke's 26 kills and .281 hitting clip that led the Coyotes to the four-set victory. Juhnke also added 15 digs to record her 15
th double-double on the season.
Omaha (13-8, 8-3) also had a strong offensive line with four hitters in double figures, but it was Shayla McCormick who led the way with 15 kills and 11 digs. Kali Jurgensmeier and Marriah Buss each followed with 12 kills while McKenna Ruch added 11 kills and four blocks.
Turning Point
South Dakota came out strong in set one, hitting .458 percent and taking advantage of Omaha's service errors. Set two saw the Mavericks fighting back, as they put on a dominating performance while hitting .370 to take set two. The Coyotes were not to be tamed, however, and they came out swinging after the break, hitting .333 as a team behind Juhnke's eight kills. Set four was a back-and-forth battle with Omaha fighting to force a fifth set and USD looking for the win. Omaha was plagued by service errors, with four of its 12 total errors coming in set four alone. It was all tied up at 20-20 late in the set before an attack error from Omaha and a kill from Harms gave South Dakota a two-point cushion. The Mavericks were able to survive two match points before a kill from
Evelyn Diederich ended the match and gave USD the four-set victory.
Notable
Quotable
"We played really well as a team today. I felt that they were extremely focused and got better as the match went on," said head coach
Leanne Williamson. "Our block picked up in the third and fourth set and made some key stops late in those games! I thought Brooklyn set one of her better matches on the year by putting our hitters in good situations. Lolo made some key defensive plays for us, and our attackers all did a great job of capitalizing on their opportunities. This team has done a great job of being in the present and it is showing as we progress through the year!"
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.
