By: Mercede Odegaard, USD Sports Information
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –
Elizabeth Juhnke is Summit League Player of the Year,
Lolo Weideman is Defensive Player of the Year and
Leanne Williamson is Coach of the Year as the conference's end-of-the-year awards were announced Wednesday. In addition, middle blocker
Madison Harms joined Juhnke and Weideman on the 12-person all-Summit team.
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"I am so proud of this group of young women who have been honored as some of the best players in the Summit League," said Williamson. "Elizabeth, Lolo, and Madison have done so much for our team this year, and I am so thrilled that they have been recognized for their talents."
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Juhnke was named the Summit League Player of the Year for the first time in her career after a historic season. She broke multiple program and league records and set the mark for most kills in a match this season with 39 kills against NDSU on Sept. 27. The Lakeville, Minnesota, native holds the single-season kills record for South Dakota and the Summit. She was named the league's offensive player of the week eight times this season while also picking up two athlete of the month honors. She led the league and the nation in kills and kills per set through the season.
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"Elizabeth has had an outstanding season. Her ability to play the whole game at a high level is remarkable," said Williamson. "Most people have seen her ability to score, which is impressive because of how efficient she is able to be with the amount of out of system swings she takes. She has worked hard to improve so much on both the defensive end and in serve receive and it has shown throughout the conference season.
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"Elizabeth has been a staple within our program, and it is amazing that she has been recognized by the league for her efforts and contributions. She has had a lot of success over the past couple of years, but her determination to continue to get better each day is really rewarding to watch."
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Weideman was named the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in her career. Her 4.65 digs per set led the league through the season and helped South Dakota boast the most digs in the league. On Sept. 24, she recorded a career-high 34 digs in the Coyotes' 3-1 win over Denver. The Center Point, Iowa, native is a part of a Coyote squad that averaged a league-best 16 digs per set.
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"Lolo has had a tremendous season at libero. She has worked so hard during her career to become the best version of herself," said Williamson. "She has consistently worked to continue learning more about the game, which has shown in her ability to cover a lot of court on the defensive end. She is so comfortable flying around the court to give our team more transition opportunities which has had a great impact on our program.Â
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"She has the ability to set up our attackers at a high rate in out of system situations and take a lot of court on the serve receive end. Her ability to lead this team on and off the court is invaluable and I am so happy that she is being recognized!"
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Harms was named to the all-Summit League team for the third time in her career. She just recently recorded her 500
th career block, and holds the USD program records in the rally scoring era for assisted blocks, solo blocks, and total blocks. She's just the second Coyote in program history to reach 500 blocks. The Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, native averaged 1.24 blocks through the season.
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"Madison has done a great job of impacting the game in multiple ways. Her blocking presence at the net has been a huge factor for us defensively," said Williamson. "She has the ability to cover a lot of ground and makes hitters think when she is in front of them. Offensively, she has expanded the ways in which she is able to score points. Her length and athleticism allow her to attack many areas of the floor even when there is a block in front of her, and she manages the game so well when needed.Â
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"Over the course of the last year, she has worked to expand her ability to attack in different zones across the net which has made her more effective as an attacker. I am proud of Madison for what she has given to the team this year, and happy that she is being recognized for her contributions."
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Williamson was named the Summit League Coach of the Year for the third time in her career after leading South Dakota to its third regular season title. In her ninth year at the helm for the Coyotes, Williamson led her squad to a 27-3 overall record and a 16-2 conference record. South Dakota has earned an NCAA tournament berth three times in the last four years under Williamson's leadership.
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South Dakota heads into the Summit League Tournament as the No. 1 seed this week in Omaha. As the No. 1 seed, the Coyotes earned a first-round bye and will play their first match of the tournament on Friday at 4 p.m. South Dakota will face the winner of the No. 4 Denver vs. No. 5 South Dakota State match.
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Individual Awards
Player of the Year
Elizabeth Juhnke, South Dakota
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Defensive Player of the Year
Lolo Weideman, South Dakota
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Setter of the Year
Kelley Johnson, North Dakota State
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Freshman of the Year
Kali Jurgensmeier, Omaha
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Coach of the Year
Leanne Williamson, South Dakota
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2022 All-Summit League Volleyball Team
First Team
Michelle Artis, North Dakota State, MB
Crystal Burk, South Dakota State, OH
Brianna Green, Denver, MB
Madison Harms, South Dakota, MB
Ali Hinze, North Dakota State, OH
Kelley Johnson, North Dakota State, S
Elizabeth Juhnke, South Dakota, OH
Shayla McCormick, Omaha, OH
Lorrin Poulter, Denver, S
McKenna Ruch, Omaha, MB
Syra Tanchin, North Dakota State, OH
Lolo Weideman, South Dakota, DS
Honorable Mention
Marriah Buss, Omaha, OH
Sami Clarkson, Omaha, S
Kaia Dunford, Oral Roberts, OH
Elizabeth Norris, North Dakota, S
Kalena Vaivai, Oral Roberts, S
Odyssey Warren, Kansas City, OH
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Freshman Team
Ally Barth, North Dakota State, MB
Paige Barber, North Dakota, OH
Emma Goerger, St. Thomas, MB
Kali Jurgensmeier, Omaha, OH
Tezra Rudzitis, St. Thomas, OH
Masa Scheierman, South Dakota State, OH
Kimora Whetstone, Kansas City, MB
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