VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota volleyball returns to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this Saturday for the first Interstate Series match of the year against South Dakota State.
Where To Watch
· South Dakota vs South Dakota State will be streamed on the Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus.
· Daniel Ver Steeg will be on the call for the Interstate Series matchup.
Key Storylines
· South Dakota and South Dakota State meet for the first edition of the Interstate Series this season Saturday in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
· Both teams enter the match on win streaks with the Coyotes winners of three straight, while the Jackrabbits while bring their six-game win streak to the SCSC.
· South Dakota secured its first 2-0 week on the Summit League season last after a 3-1 win over St. Thomas Thursday in the SCSC and a five-set victory at Omaha Saturday.
· This week is the third week in a row to open the conference slate where the Coyotes play one match on the road and one at home.
· Through six Summit League matches, the Coyotes are holding opponents to a league-low .170 hitting percentage and pace the conference in digs per set at 15.58. Kamryn Farris leads the conference with 96 digs during Summit League play.
· The Coyote backrow is among the NCAA's elite ranking No. 14 nationally in digs per set at 17.06. USD ranks No. 16 in total digs with 1,177. USD leads the Summit League in both categories.
· USD's offense, directed by Avery Van Hook, ranks No. 19 in assists per set (12.90), No. 23 in attacks per set (37.12) and No. 23 in kills per set (13.86).
· The reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, Kamryn Farris, leads the Summit League in total digs (327) and digs per set (4.74). 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 total kills (273) and total points (303.0). Medeck ranks No. 2 in kills and No. 3 in points during Summit League play.
· The floor general, Avery Van Hook, paces the conference with 723 total assists. She also leads the league with a 10.48 assists per set average. Van Hook is No. 6 in the NCAA in assists and No. 14 in assists per set.
· Van Hook also ranks No. 6 in the conference in digs with 213 on the year.
· Amanda Loschen continues to terminate at a high efficiency as she's hitting .365 with 157 kills on the season. Loschen is one of two players hitting above .400 in Summit League play with a .437 clip and 51 kills.
· When out of system, the Yotes have turned to Farris who has tallied 106 assists on the season. She has a pair of double-doubles already on the season (digs and assists).
· 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.
· 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.
About Last Year
· The Jackrabbits got the better of the Yotes in the regular season last year, but it was South Dakota who ultimately triumphed in the Summit League Tournament Championship match with a 3-2 win.
· In the Yotes championship win, Kamryn Farris had a match-high 30 digs and recorded her first career double-double with 13 assists.
· Avery Van Hook dished out 54 assists and had 13 digs. Lauren Medeck had 13 kills, while Amanda Loschen had 10 kills and six blocks (3 solo).
· In the three matches vs the Jacks, Farris totaled 66 digs for a 5.08 digs/set average. Loschen tallied 30 kills on a .284 clip and had 16 blocks (6 solo).
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 (71), No. 5 in solo blocks (11) and No. 6 in blocks per set (1.06).
· The sophomore sits three 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 18 matches and made 13 starts for the Yotes and is No. 4 on the team with 160 digs (2.32 digs/set). She is tied for the third on the squad with 13 aces.
· She has eight matches on the year with 10+ digs, including a 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 four starts.
· Ball's put away 10+ kills in three straight matches and set a new career high with 14 in Saturday's win at Omaha. She's reached double-digit kills in seven matches.
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 .365 hitting percentage.
· Since the start of conference play, she has increased her attack rate and is swinging at a .437 clip. She ranks No. 2 in league play in hitting percentage.
· Loschen has six double-digit kill matches this season and has swung at a .300 clip in 13 matches. She has seven 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.
Winning Traditions
· Over the past seven seasons, the Coyotes have seen their fair share of success with either a Summit League Regular Season or Tournament Championship in each of those seven seasons.
· In 2022, South Dakota was crowned the regular season champions after posting a 16-2 league record and also claimed the tournament championship. It was the first time in program history, the Yotes claimed both titles in the same season.
· From 2020-22 the Coyotes won three straight conference tournaments and have five postseason titles in the last seven seasons.
· USD became the first Summit League team to win the postseason title as the No. 3 seed or higher, winning three games in three days.
· The Coyotes have made five appearances at the NCAA D1 National Tournament, most recently in 2024 when the Yotes faced No. 2 seeded Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska.
Fast Starts
· Under head coach Leanne Williamson, the Coyotes have been extremely successful when getting out to fast starts in matches.
· The Yotes are 188-21 since 2014 when they've won the first set in a match.
· South Dakota has won 26 straight matches after taking the first set and went 14-0 in 2024.
· When taking the first two sets in a match, USD is 134-4 under Williamson and has won 28 straight.
· The Coyotes started fast against Oral Roberts Saturday, and made quick work of the third set with a 25-8 set win to close the sweep.
· The eight points allowed in the third set was the lowest total scored by an opponent in a set this season.
Home Sweet Home
· The Coyotes have excelled on their home court under Williamson with a 102-26 record.
· Prior to the 2016 season, the Yotes played in 'The Coyote Den' in the DakotaDome.
· Beginning in 2016, South Dakota has called the Sanford Coyote Sports Center home and have accumulated a 79-17 overall record and 53-12 mark in Summit League Matches.
· A new addition to the SCSC in 2024 was the addition of the Teraflex floor in the SCSC. The Yotes became the third Summit League school to utilize a Teraflex floor.
· Since the 2019 season, the Coyotes have ranked inside or just outside the top-50 nationally for average home attendance.
· The Coyotes highest ranking for home attendance average was the 2021 season when they ranked No. 40 in the NCAA.
· *The Yotes ranked No. 14 in the NCAA during the adjusted 2020-21 season due to COVID.
· USD ranked 50th a season ago in home attendance and set a new SCSC program record with 2,810 fans taking in the match between South Dakota and South Dakota State on Nov. 19, 2024.
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