AMES, Iowa— South Dakota (0-1) fell to (RV) Iowa State in the season opener tonight in Ames, Iowa. It was the first match for the Coyotes as a part of the Cardinal and Gold Challenge. Game scores went 25-16, 25-20, 25-17.
 
Who Stood Out
Junior outside hitter Kylen Sealock had a team-high 11 kills for the Coyotes to compliment her six digs and two blocks. In her collegiate debut and first career start, freshman setter Avery Van Hook put up 22 assists to go with her eight digs and two kills.
 
Iowa State (1-0) had two hitters in double-digits tonight, led by senior outside hitter Annie Hatch's 14 kills. Freshman outside hitter Nayeli Gonzalez followed with 11 kills on 26 swings to hit .385 percent on the night. As a team, the Cyclones hit .309 percent while holding to the Coyotes to a .096 hitting percentage.
 
Turning Point
After a strong start from both sides of the net in set one, set two saw the momentum shift slightly towards the Coyotes. Three kills in a row towards the end of set two gave the Coyotes a boost of energy to finish the set and head into set three. Set three saw the Coyotes take an early 7-6 lead on a monster block from Madison Harms and Amanda Loschen. From there, the Cyclones went on a 5-0 run to take an 11-7 lead that spurred them to the finish.  
 
Notable

• Middle blocker Brynn Paumen put down five kills and had one block.
• Freshman middle blocker Amelia Dugger made her collegiate debut and first career start.
• Harms had three block assists and one solo block to compliment her four kills.

 
Up Next
The Cardinal and Gold Challenge continues tomorrow as the Coyotes face DePaul at 2 p.m. inside Hilton Coliseum.