First Serve
South Dakota continues Summit League play, this time at home, with matches against Kansas City on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Denver on Saturday (noon). Both matches will be streamed on the Summit League Network.  
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota (6-6, 0-1 Summit) is looking to bounce back from its loss against Omaha last week in the opening match of league play. The Coyotes fell to the Mavericks in four sets inside Baxter Arena. Prior to that match, South Dakota closed out nonconference play on a five-match winning streak, including a 3-0 weekend at the Capital Credit Union Classic hosted by Green Bay. The Coyotes defeated Green Bay in a hard-fought five-set battle before defeating Illinois State in four sets and sweeping Central Michigan. Fifth-year senior Madison Harms was named the tournament MVP and freshman setter Avery Van Hook joined her on the all-tournament team.
 
Harms' 1.20 blocks per set and 55 total blocks sit at second in the league behind Kansas City's Carly Gillen (1.24 b/s, 72 TB). Harms recorded her 1000^th career kill in South Dakota's match against Omaha on Sept. 23, becoming the 11^th Coyote in program history to join the 1,000-kill club. The middle blocker had seven kills and three blocks on the match. Van Hook has stepped into the setter role for the Coyotes and has recorded six double-doubles in 12 games, including a career-high 51 assists in USD's five-set win over Green Bay on Sept. 14.
 
Defensive specialist Kamryn Farris has rotated into the libero position for the Coyotes. The sophomore put up double-digit digs in both matches as libero and tallied three service aces. Sixth-year middle blocker Brynn Paumen was named the Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week for the first time in her Coyote career on Sept. 19. Paumen averaged 1.08 blocks per set through South Dakota's three wins in Green Bay and is averaging 0.93 blocks per set on the season.
 
The Roos  
Kansas City (11-3, 2-0 Summit) jumped out to a program record 6-0 start to the season, while its 11-3 overall record is the program's best since 2020. The Roos rest atop the league standings after two five-set wins to start league play over Omaha and South Dakota State.
 
Outside hitter Odyssey Warren recorded her 1,000^th career kill in a career-best 26 kill performance in the win over SDSU. Warren's 3.42 kills per set average leads the Roos and sits at third in the league. Senior Oral Roberts transfer Kaia Dunford is averaging 3.10 kills per set behind Warren and has put up double-digit kill numbers is every match but one this season.
 
Defensive specialist Leah Green is the reigning Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week after totaling 54 digs through Kansas City's first two league wins. The junior's 289 total digs on the season led the league and rank eighth nationally, while her 4.98 digs per set average also leads the league and sits at 21^st nationally.
 
Sophomore setter Sydney Henry had 582 assists on the season so far, a total that ranks fifth in the NCAA and leads the Summit. Henry has put up 30+ assists in every match but one and tallied a career-high 54 assists in Kansas City's win over SDSU on Sept. 23.  
 
The Pioneers
Denver (3-7, 2-0 Summit) sits at second in the league standings after an undefeated first week of league play, sweeping both North Dakota schools. The Pioneers were led by middle blocker Cadi Boyer, who tallied 11 kills and three blocks in the win over NDSU and nine kills and six blocks in the win over UND.
 
Boyer averages 2.06 kills per set and her 1.19 blocks per set average sits at third in the league behind Harms. Baylor transfer Cassie Davis averages a team-leading 3.22 kills per set for the Pioneers. The outside hitter had nine kills on 16 attempts with no errors against North Dakota to hit a season-best .563.
 
The Pioneers are led by first-year head coach Megan Pendergast, who comes to Denver after stints as an assistant coach at UCLA, Oklahoma, and Tulsa. Denver started the season with back-to-back nonconference tournaments in California where they went 0-6 to start the year. The Pioneers picked up their first win of the nonconference season when they hosted Idaho State, but fell to Colorado in four sets to close out nonconference play.
 
Up Next
Summit League play continues as the Coyotes head back out on the road for a pair of matches in North Dakota. South Dakota takes on North Dakota on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. before facing North Dakota State on Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.