VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota (7-7, 1-2 Summit) picked up its first win of the Summit League slate with a three-set win over Denver on Saturday afternoon inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. Game scores went 25-17, 25-14, 25-17.
 
Who Stood Out
The Coyotes dominated all the way around with a balanced attack against the Pioneers. Middle blocker Madison Harms tallied a match-high 10 kills on a .500 hitting clip and added four blocks. Freshman outside hitter Samantha Laird recorded a career-high eight kills on 14 attempts with just one error to hit .500 on the match. Middle blocker Brynn Paumen also added a season-high and match-high seven blocks to compliment her eight kills and .636 hitting clip.
 
Denver (4-8, 3-1 Summit) picked up its first Summit loss of the season as it could not keep up with the Coyotes. Outside hitter Cassie Davis led the Pioneers with six kills and one block. Cadi Boyer, Molly Mirabelli, and Ava Reynolds each added five kills apiece for Denver.

Turning Point
South Dakota came out swinging in set one, dominating at the net with a blistering .667 hitting clip as a squad. The Coyotes held down the net on defense as well, outblocking the Pioneers 4-0 in set one alone. The Yotes came out to an early lead, but Denver battled back to tie the game at 9-9. A kill from Laird spurred the Yotes to a 7-2 run to take a 16-11 lead and force a Denver timeout. Mackenzie Fidelak put down a kill for the Pioneers but three-straight kills from South Dakota set the tone once again and South Dakota took the first set. The energy the Coyotes came out with never left their side of the court and they continued to dominate through sets two and three. As a team, the Yotes recorded a season-high hitting percentage while tying their season-low for errors at the net.
 
Notable

• Freshman setter Avery Van Hook had 30 assists, three kills, eight digs, and seven blocks for the Yotes.
• As a squad, the Coyotes outblocked the Pioneers 11-6 on the match.
• South Dakota held the lead for the entirety of set two while holding Denver to a negative hitting clip.

 
Quotable
"We have responded really well to obstacles, and we have responded really well to adversity," said head coach Leanne Williamson. "It's one of those things that we really pride ourselves on. We're not going to avoid adversity, we're going to talk about it, learn from it, and move on from it. I'm really proud of the team for learning through those moments of adversity."
 
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.