EL PASO, TEXAS – South Dakota went 2-0 on day one of the Borderland Invitational Friday with a 3-1 win over Portland State (25-20, 25-19, 26-24, 25-11) and a 3-2 win over New Mexico (25-23, 25-12, 25-23, 27-25, 15-6).
Elizabeth Juhnke recorded her first two double-doubles on the season, while
Brooklyn Schram had a match-high 46 assists in game one and
Lolo Weideman added a match-high 24 digs in game two.
Game One (USD 3, PSU 1)
Who Stood Out
Juhnke recorded her first double-double of the season with 24 kills and 16 digs amidst South Dakota's explosive offensive effort.
Madison Harms followed with 12 kills of her own to compliment the team's .336 hitting percentage, while Schram added 46 assists, a match high.
In the backcourt, libero
Lolo Weideman had 12 digs and three service aces alongside
Alaina Wolff's 11 digs. Middle blocker
Brynn Paumen held down the net for the Coyotes, putting up four blocks, including two solo blocks, and seven kills. Paumen also contributed the winning kill in set three to give South Dakota the leading edge.
Portland State received 15 kills from outside hitter Makayla Lewis while Sophia Meyers followed with nine kills, two service aces, and 11 digs. Madison Friebel (20) and Teniyah Leuluai (16) combined to put up 36 assists for the Vikings and Ellie Snook had a team-high 15 digs.
Turning Point
South Dakota took an early lead with a 25-20 set one victory, but Portland State fought back to take set two. The third set saw a back-and-forth battle, but South Dakota's Paumen and freshman
Avery Beckett put together three kills in a row to take the victory.
Set four was the Coyotes all the way, as Beckett recorded her second collegiate kill to put South Dakota on a 9-0 run that would carry them to the finish line.
Notable
- South Dakota hit .522 in set four while holding Portland State to .053.
- Juhnke recorded the 51st double-double of her career.
- Through four sets, there were 27 tie scores and 10 lead changes, including 18 tie scores in set three alone.
- Paumen's seven kills were a career high.
Quotable
"I am really proud of this team for their fight today," said head coach
Leanne Williamson. "Portland State is a really good team, but I felt that we got better as the match went on. Once we got into the fourth set, we played very confidently and found ways to make plays."
Game Two (USD 3, UNM 2)
Who Stood Out
Juhnke recorded her second double-double of the season, while Schram earned a career-high in her 47 assists. Harms added 13 kills as well as six blocks to help the Coyotes in the five-set battle. Libero
Lolo Weideman tied with New Mexico's Alena Moldan for a match-high 24 digs, while Beckett and senior
Aimee Adams each added nine kills for South Dakota.
Along with Moldan's 24 digs, New Mexico received a match-high 23 kills from outside hitter Kaitlynn Biassou, who also added 11 digs. Kali Wolf followed with 16 kills and nine digs. Setter Aniless Sher tallied 50 assists, four service aces and nine digs for the Lobos.
Turning Point
The match was back-and-forth from the beginning, with the Coyotes and Lobos trading runs at every turn. The battle continued through the fourth set as the Coyotes were within three points of the Lobos (23-20). South Dakota had a successful challenge to bring them within two (23-21) that teed them up for success heading into the fifth and final set. South Dakota capitalized on the momentum from the end of the fourth set and went on a 7-0 run that carried them to the finish line.
Notable
- South Dakota hit .400 in set five while holding New Mexico to -.130
- Weideman's 24 digs were a season-high
- First-year freshman Beckett played in her second collegiate match and recorded a career-high nine kills and four digs
- Through the five-set match, there were 26 tie scores, 12 of which happened in set four and 12 lead changes.
Quotable
"We got a good jump on New Mexico in the first set but struggled to maintain the big lead that we had built. They were extremely scrappy defensively and made our attackers take multiple swings in the rally," said Williamson.
"We made some adjustments defensively in the fifth set and executed really well from point one. It is very difficult to play nine sets in one day, but we handled it well. Lolo was really good defensively and made some huge plays at big moments. I thought Harms also had a good day offensively. We really had to rely on our ability to make changes and our depth which came up huge for us. Overall, these were two huge team wins!"
Up Next
South Dakota finishes the Borderland Invitational with an 11:30 a.m. matchup against UTEP Saturday.
