Sealock’s impact helps guide Coyotes back to NCAAs

Kylen Sealock is quick to credit all of her teammates for making her the volleyball player that she has become.

The lone four-year member of the senior class had to be patient early in her career before seizing in the opportunity to get on the floor and contribute late in her sophomore season. 

She has flourished ever since.

“Coming in I knew that South Dakota volleyball had a culture of success, a foundation that the program had set and I knew that it would take a lot for me to build up my confidence and play to the best of my ability,” Sealock said. “My teammates definitely helped encourage me and build my confidence and I feel that is what has been so great that we have been able to come together and ultimately win matches together.”

Sealock, a two-time first-team All-Summit League selection, had the opportunity to train and practice and sit behind All-American Elizabeth Juhnke, both outside hitters.

She gained valuable time in practice working on her game and getting a better understanding of what college volleyball is all about. 

Sealock also joined Juhnke as one of just three Coyotes to earn Summit League tournament MVP when the team captured their fifth tournament title over the last seven seasons in Kansas City last Tuesday. 

Though, it didn’t always come easy. 

The Lincoln, Nebraska, native, had to be patient as a freshman, seeing action in only two matches and also seeing limited time her sophomore year, both seasons ending with the Coyotes winning the Summit League tournament title. 

“Kylen obviously has a heavy arm which allows her to get the ball to the floor often, but she has also raised her volleyball IQ which has helped her score the ball at a high rate in a multitude of ways,” added Williamson. “Her all-around game has also grown during her career.”

There was a small glimpse of what was to come when she matched her then career-high with 14 kills in a tourney title sweep over Omaha in her second season on campus. 

That season saw the six-footer contribute 54 kills in 12 matches and twice she posted 14 kills in a match with the other coming against North Dakota State in a breakout match that saw her also hit .458 in her first extended playing time of her career.  

“It was really fun to be able to look up to the upperclassmen when I was younger,” said Sealock. “To see the level of volleyball that they were playing and what needed to be done to be able to get onto the floor and play and have those moments and the improvements that I needed to make in my game in order for me to be able to step on the floor and have an impact in the way that I have.”

Sealock has had an impact, for sure, over the last two seasons, leading South Dakota in kills and kills/set each season. 

She contributed 363 kills, averaging 3.16 per set, during her first season as a full-time starter in 2023. She played all six rotations as a junior, also posting 250 digs and leading the team with 46 service aces. 

She reached double digits in kills in 23 of the team’s 29 matches and contributed 11 matches of double figure digs with season highs of 21 kills against South Dakota State and 21 digs against North Dakota, both five-set victories. 

“Coming into my junior year I definitely felt a little bit of pressure, my teammates definitely helped put me at ease,” said Sealock. “I am good enough the way that I am in my abilities. They recruited me here for a reason and they want me out on the floor doing those certain things and having the role that I have. 

“The sports staff and teammates did a really good job of building up my confidence, helping me to realize that I belong out there on the floor and that I can make an impact.”

Despite securing a share of the Summit League regular season title in 2023, the program’s third in head coach Leanne Williamson’s 11 seasons, the year ultimately ended in disappointment with a league tourney loss on its home floor.

Bouncing back in true Coyote fashion, the team withstood some ups and downs during the 2024 season, a three-match losing streak in conference play for the first time since 2015 to become the first team to win three matches in three days to win the Summit League tourney championship number 5. 

“Kylen is determined, tough, and resilient, and those qualities have really come out in the past two seasons to a higher degree,” said Williamson. “I am so happy that Kylen chose to be a Coyote and I am thrilled that she bought in to growing as a player and person while she wore the Coyote jersey!”

Sealock put up even better offensive numbers in 2024, her senior season, while a switch to playing the front row only may have also played a small part in that.

She ranked second in the Summit League with 408 kills and third at 3.58 per set, reaching 10 or more kills in 24 of 30 matches. She opened the season with a 21 kill, .459 hitting percentage match against Fordham and posted a career-high 23 kills in the tourney title match win over South Dakota State. 

Her 408 kills are the sixth-most by a senior in the school’s Division I era. 

“Throughout the season we have had our ups and downs, but every time we have had our lower points those moments just showed how good of a team we can be,” said Sealock. “How resilient we are with bouncing back that we can go beat the teams that we just lost too at the end of conference play.

“I feel most proud about the team and how we have been able to stay together throughout all the ups and downs of the season.”

The Coyote volleyball program has reached 15 wins or more in each of Williamson’s 11 seasons and 2024 marked the sixth with 20 or more wins. The team is playing in the postseason for the seventh straight season with five NCAA tourney bids and two appearances in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

Depth has been another attribute to this season’s success as seven different South Dakota attackers have 100 or more kills, achieving that total for the first time since 2017 and just the third time in Williamson’s tenure. 

“It’s kind of rare to see a team this close with the amount of depth that we have,” added Sealock. “That we are able to support each other no matter who is out on the floor. We have those relationships and we are such a tight-knit group and that’s what is so special about this team this year.”