VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota (3-5) survived four match points to defeat South Florida in five sets after trailing 8-1 and 14-10 in the deciding game. It was the second match and second win of the day for the Coyotes as they wrapped up the South Dakota Classic. Game scores 25-17, 17-25, 25-23, 20-25, 16-14.
 
Earlier in the day, South Dakota swept former Summit foe IUPUI. Games scores went 25-12, 25-17, 25-18.
 
Game Two (USD 3, USF 2)
Who Stood Out
The Coyotes put together a well-rounded match offensively and defensively, led by 18 kills from outside hitter Kylen Sealock and 14 kills from middle blocker Madison Harms. Avery Van Hook and Mattie Johnson each put up a team-high 18 digs. A match-high three service aces accompanied Johnson's career-high dig mark. Van Hook added 34 assists to record her fifth double-double on the year.
 
South Florida (3-4) saw four players land in double-digit kills and double-digit digs on the night. Right side Amanda DeWitt had a team-high 18 kills followed by 16 kills from outside Maria Clara Andrade, 15 kills from outside Buse Hazan, and 10 kills from middle blocker Tizi Puljiz. Hazan also added 13 digs and two blocks for the Bulls. Libero Lia Schneider tallied a match-high 22 kills and had seven assists.
 
Turning Point
A back-and-forth battle led into one of the best comebacks in Coyote volleyball history in set five. After a strong first three sets, South Dakota fought through a rocky fourth set that South Florida won to push the match to a deciding set. The Bulls came out fast in set five to take an early 4-0 lead and force a quick Coyote timeout. A kill from Sealock ended the run and gave the Yotes their first point of the set, but South Florida would not be tamed. The Bulls strung together another 4-0 run to take a dominating 8-1 lead and initiate the side switch. Back on their starting side of the court, the Yotes settled in and started clawing their way back into the set, spurred by kills from Sealock, Harms, and Diederich. Hazan's 15^th kill of the match brought the Bulls to match point at 14-10, but the Coyotes were not done yet. Alaina Wolff stepped back to service line and served the Yotes through four USF match points. She served five-straight points for South Dakota that started with a service ace. Sealock's 18^th kill tied the game at 14-14 and an attack error from Lauren Lewis gave the Yotes their first lead of the set. Van Hook and Harms put up the block that would score the match point for South Dakota and secure the five-set comeback victory.
 
Notable

• Middle blocker Brynn Paumen put together a solid stat line on the night, with eight kills, seven blocks (one solo block), and one service ace.
• Junior libero Alaina Wolff put up 17 digs from the backline with one service ace and seven assists.
• Sealock added 10 digs to her kill total to record her second double-double on the season.
• Through five sets, there were a total of 22 tie scores and 10 lead changes.

 
Quotable
"What an incredible atmosphere tonight. Over 1,700 people here tonight for the whiteout, our students showed up and were really a part of the match and it was incredible to be a part of," said head coach Leanne Williamson. "I think this team has continued to learn throughout the preseason and with each match we just get a little bit cleaner.
 
"To see us get better as the match went on and when our backs were literally against the wall in that fifth set was a great learning moment for us. It showed us how much ground we can cover in a short amount of time when we are determined and how we need to play to win a fifth set. We didn't start great, but I don't think the belief ever left us and with each point the crowd got more invested more involved and we just put a lot of pressure on South Florida even when they were up in the fifth set.
 
"I'm really proud of our team for bouncing back and having the ability to stay in a match that to some people probably felt like it was over. I think it says a lot about what we can accomplish, but still obviously a lot of learning moments in there as well."
 
Game One (USD 3, IUPUI 0)
Who Stood Out
In just three sets, the Coyotes tallied 11 service aces and 10 total team blocks. Senior Laura Petterson had four service aces, including two aces in a row in set one. Sophomore Kamryn Farris added three aces of her own during a run for the Yotes in set three. Middle blocker Madison Harms put together another well-rounded game with five kills and six blocks (one solo block). The senior had just one error on 14 attempts to hit .286 on the match. Freshman Avery Van Hook recorded her fourth double-double on the season in her seventh career start for the Yotes with 18 assists and 11 digs.
 
IUPUI (4-4) was led on offense by freshman outside hitter Maia Long with seven kills. Outside hitter Ava Harris added seven kills of her own complimented by four digs and one service ace. Setter Grace Purichia put up a match-high 23 assists for the Jaguars.
 
Turning Point
The Coyotes came out ready to play in set one, taking a big lead early and setting the tone for the match. Back-to-back service aces from Petterson gave the Yotes an early 14-8 lead that was later extended to a 21-10 lead on a 6-0 run for South Dakota. Junior libero Alaina Wolff recorded her service ace during a 4-2 run by the Yotes to finish set one. As a team, the Coyotes hit .261 and had three total blocks while holding the Jaguars to a .000 hitting clip and holding the lead through the entire first set. IUPUI looked to bounce back in set two, improving to a .207 hitting clip, but couldn't overcome the Coyotes.
 
Notable

• As a squad, the Coyotes outblocked the Jaguars 10-1 while holding them to a .115 hitting clip through three sets.
• South Dakota had 11 service aces as a team, the second-most they've had under Leanne Williamson's leadership.
• In addition to Harms' five total blocks, five other Coyotes had blocks on the stat line, including three a piece from Brynn Paumen and Amanda Loschen.
• Paumen also put down three kills and had one solo block.
• In her second career appearance for the Coyotes, freshman outside hitter Samantha Laird had four kills on 10 attempts with no errors to hit .400 on the match.
• Senior Mattie Johnson made her first career start for the Coyotes and had one of the team's 11 service aces.

 
Quotable
"It was a tough turnaround from last night to this morning, but the girls did a great job of coming in focused and we're really happy with the sweep," said head coach Leanne Williamson. "We had some high numbers with 11 service aces and 10 team blocks which was great, but we did get a lot of points from their errors and at times it was hard to get into a good rhythm. After the game we talked about how we can continue to have our standards and continue to be the attacker when that is happening, which was a good lesson for us. This is a team that's going to be different week to week, match to match, and by the end of the year so it's important we learn something from every game."
 
Up Next
The Coyotes hit the road for one last nonconference tournament before Summit play begins. The Green Bay Invite will feature three games over three days for South Dakota. The Coyotes will take on tournament host Green Bay on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m., Illinois State at 3 p.m. on Sept. 15, and Central Michigan on Sept. 16 at noon.