First Serve
South Dakota (28-3) will face Omaha (20-9) in the Summit League Championship at 2 p.m. Saturday. It's a rematch of last year's championship match that saw South Dakota sweep Omaha to advance to its third NCAA tournament appearance in four years.
 
The Coyotes
The regular season champions are the No. 1 seed in the Summit League Tournament and swept Denver in the semifinal match to advance to the championship.
 
The Coyotes had a healthy offensive effort on Friday in the 3-0 win over Denver, with five players notching kills on the board. Elizabeth Juhnke, the Summit League Player of the Year, put up a match-high 15 kills while Aimee Adams added eight and Kylen Sealock had seven kills.
 
Juhnke continues to lead the nation in kills at 649 on the season. Her 15 kills in South Dakota's home finale win over North Dakota made her the new Summit League record holder in single season kills. She is also USD's all-time career kills leader with 1,976 kills and counting.
 
The Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Lolo Weideman tallied 13 digs for the Coyotes on Friday. Her 4.65 digs per set lead the league. Junior middle blocker Brynn Paumen recorded a match-high six blocks to help South Dakota outblock one of the best blocking teams in the nation. She also added six kills.
 
The Coyotes are led by Summit League Coach of the Year Leanne Williamson, who led her squad to a 16-2 conference record and a 27-3 overall record during the regular season. Williamson has led her team to three NCAA tournament berths in the last four years.
 
The Mavericks
Omaha defeated North Dakota State in four-sets to advance to the championship match. Sophomore outside hitter Shayla McCormick and junior outside hitter Marriah Buss led the Mavericks with 12 kills apiece. Junior middle blocker McKenna Ruch followed with eight kills, four blocks, and three service aces. McCormick also tallied 17 digs to record her 18^th double-double on the season.
 
Earlier this week, outside hitter Kali Jurgensmeier was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year. She led all freshmen in the league in hitting percentage (.280), kills (246), kills per set (2.39), blocks (67), blocks per set (0.65), and total points (289.5). She is the third Maverick ever to win Summit League Freshman of the Year. McCormick and Ruch earned all-Summit first team honors while Buss and Sami Clarkson earned all-Summit Honorable Mention.
 
Series
South Dakota swept the regular season against the Mavericks, including a 3-1 victory at Omaha in the most recent meeting on Oct. 22. Saturday marks the third time South Dakota and Omaha will meet in the Summit League Tournament. Last year, the Coyotes defeated the Mavericks in three straight sets to win the championship and advance to the NCAA tournament.