VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota heads down I-29 to continue the Summit League season Wednesday night against Kansas City from the Swinney Center at 7 p.m.
 
Where To Watch

• South Dakota vs Kansas City will be streamed on the Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus.

Key Storylines

• The Coyotes head down I-29 to face Kansas City for the first time this season on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
• South Dakota secured its first 2-0 week on the Summit League season after a 3-1 win over St. Thomas Thursday in the SCSC and a five-set victory at Omaha Saturday.
• It will be the third week in a row to open the conference slate where the Coyotes play one match on the road and one at home.
• The Yotes are 6-4 over their last 10 matches and have alternated wins and losses over that stretch. Prior to this stretch of matches, USD had won four straight.
• The Coyotes held an 8-4 record following the nonconference slate where they matched up with two Power 4 opponents and five teams that appeared in the 2024 NCAA National Tournament (Oregon, Kansas, Colgate, FGCU and Wichita State)
• USD's P4 matchups featured two teams in the AVCA top-25 or receiving votes in current #15 Kansas and then RV Oregon.
• The Coyote backrow is among the NCAA's elite ranking No. 15 nationally in digs per set at 16.94. USD ranks No. 32 in total digs with 1,101. USD leads the Summit League in both categories.
• USD's offense, directed by Avery Van Hook, ranks No. 19 in assists per set (12.88), No. 27 in attacks per set (36.86) and No. 27 in kills per set (13.80).
• Morgan Bode was a brick wall at the net at Denver last week as she set a new four-set program record with 13 total blocks (3 solo).
• Bode's block total against Denver is tied for the third most in a single four-set match this season in the NCAA.
• The reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, Kamryn Farris, leads the Summit League in total digs (306) and digs per set (4.71). She ranks 28th in the NCAA in digs per set and No. 32 in total digs.
• Farris was on lockdown for the Yotes to start the season as she was named the Summit League Kwik Star Defensive Peak Performer of the Week in four of the first five weeks.
• In year two with the Yotes, Lauren Medeck continues to build off a strong freshman season last year, as she leads the conference in kills (258) and total points (287.0).
• The floor general, Avery Van Hook, paces the conference with 680 total assists. She also leads the league with a 10.46 assists per set average. Van Hook is No. 10 in the NCAA in assists and No. 16 in assists per set.
• Van Hook also ranks No. 6 in the conference in digs with 206 and No. 9 in digs per set (3.17).
• Amanda Loschen continues to terminate at a high efficiency as she's hitting .360 with 147 kills on the season. Her hitting percentage tops the Summit League and has hit a scorching .430 across the first five conference matches.
• When out of system, the Yotes have turned to Farris who has tallied 100 assists on the season. She has a pair of double-doubles already on the season (digs and assists).
• Yotes in Europe! The Coyotes took their first foreign trip as a program this offseason, spending nearly two weeks in Spain and Portugal. South Dakota played four matches across their stay against Next Level Voleibol and Caep Soria Voleibol.
• Leanne Williamson is in year 12 as the head coach at USD and holds a program best 242-107 record. 

Last Time In KC

• The Coyotes were celebrating the last time they were in the Swinney Center in Kansas City, Missouri after three straight wins to cap off a Summit League Tournament Championship in 2024.
• The Yotes were the first team in Summit League history to win three matches in three days to win the postseason championship.
• The Yotes went 4-0 in the Swinney Center last year with two sweeps.
• In the four matches at KC last year, Kamryn Farris averaged 5.93 digs per set and had seven service aces.
• In total, Morgan Bode and Amanda Loschen each put away 33 kills, swung at a .300+ clip and combined for 27.0 blocks in the Swinney Center.
• In the two matches vs the Roos in KC, the Coyotes got out to fast starts by taking the first set in both while holding the Roos to nine points in the first match and to 11 in the quarterfinals of the SLT.

Bode's Block Party

• Morgan Bode set a new four-set program record at Denver last Saturday with 13 total blocks.
• It was a new career high for Bode and the first time recording double-digit blocks.
• She was especially dominant in the second set win with seven total blocks (2 solo).
• Bode became the first Coyote with 10+ blocks in a single match since Madison Harms in 2023 vs Drake (12).
• Bode ranks No. 3 in the Summit League in blocks (68), No. 4 in solo blocks (11) and No. 5 in blocks per set (1.08).
• The sophomore sits six blocks away from 200 in her career. 

The Rookies

• Sierra Pokharel and Ava Ball have made an immediate impact in the rotation for the Coyotes in their freshman seasons.
• Pokharel has appeared in all 17 matches and made 13 starts for the Yotes and is No. 4 on the team with 151 digs (2.32 digs/set). She is tied for the third on the squad with 11 aces.
• She has eight matches on the year with 10+ digs, including five-match streak from 9/11-9/25.
• Ball has appeared in all but one match on the outside for the Yotes so far this season and has made three starts.
• Ball's put away 10+ kills in both matches last week and set a new career high with 14 in Saturday's win at Omaha. She has had back-to-back matches with 10+ kills on two occasions this season. 

Killin' it Efficiently

• Amanda Loschen has been as efficient as anyone in the Summit League so far this season as she leads the conference with a .360 hitting percentage. (minimum 10 attempts per match).
• Since the start of conference play, she has swung at a league best .430 clip with 41 kills and just four errors.
• Loschen has five double-digit kill matches this season and has swung at a .300 clip in 12 matches. She has six matches at a .400+ clip.
• In a sweep of Oral Roberts, Loschen tallied 11 kills with no errors for a .579 hitting percentage and put away nine kills on 14 swings for a .643 clip.
• She put away eight kills on 15 swings with just one error for a .467% in the sweep of Ball State and had two solo blocks.
• Loschen also recorded a .400+ attack percentage in the five-set win over Montana State with 11 kills on 24 swings. 

The Minis

• The Coyote backline has been amongst the NCAA's best this season.
• The Yotes rank No. 15 in the nation in digs per set at 16.94 and No. 32 in total digs with 1,101. USD leads the Summit League in both categories.
• The Yotes have two players in the top-10 in the Summit League rankings in total digs. Kamryn Farris leads the conference (306), while Avery Van Hook is No. 6 (206) and Lauren Medeck is just outside at No. 11 (173).
• Freshman Sierra Pokharel is No. 13 in the league with 151 digs.
• Farris is the only player in the Summit League averaging over 4.0 digs per set at 4.71.