VERMILLION, S.D. — For the second match in a row, South Dakota volleyball avenged an earlier season loss this time with a 3-0 sweep of North Dakota Saturday night in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

The Coyotes featured a balance attack with five players putting away seven or more kills paced by Samantha Laird's nine. Amanda Loschen tallied eight kills and a pair of blocks, while Audrey Nelson and Morgan Bode posted matching stat lines of seven kills on 15 swings with no errors. Nelson tallied a pair of blocks, while Bode had a solo rejection and two aces.
 
Kamryn Farris and Sam Untiedt were anchors on the defensive end with 19 and 14 digs, respectively. Avery Van Hook dished out 29 assists, had seven digs and four kills.
 
In her second start of the season, Laird got the offense moving early with a pair of kills in the opening three rallies while Ava Ball served up her first career ace. The Yotes led throughout the first set and put the Fighting Hawks in the rearview mirror early when Bode held serve for a 7-0 Coyote run to extend the lead to 13-5. Bode started the run with a kill and it ended with her first of two aces in the first. While the Fighting Hawks put together a 5-0 spurt in response, USD answered with a pair of 3-0 runs. Bode would move the Yotes to set point, 24-16 with a kill and closed it out with her second ace of the frame.
 
North Dakota held the early lead in set two, but the Yotes would again muster a lengthy run of six straight points near the midway point. Nelson put a kill and a solo block in the run as USD took a 12-9 advantage. The Yotes extended their lead to 21-14 with a 6-1 run featuring a pair of kills from Van Hook and a solo block from Bode. Loschen moved USD to set point, and Ball pushed the Coyotes up 2-0 in the match with her third kill of the set. The second set was the most efficient for USD as they hit .270 as a team and had five players with multiple kills. Farris and Untiedt combined for 13 digs and the Yotes held UND to a .024 hitting percentage.
 
The Coyotes had a different leader in kills in each set, with Loschen paving the way in the third with five kills on an errorless eight swings. Keeping with the trend of the match, the Yotes took control in the middle of set with a pair of 4-0 runs. Farris tallied an ace in the first run, while Ball put away a pair of kills in the second. Loschen accounted for three of the final five Coyote points with kills as USD closed out the 25-22 set win to complete the sweep of the Fighting Hawks.
 
South Dakota is on the road next week for both its matches starting on Thursday night against St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
 
Notes

• The Yotes have won six of their last seven matches and move to 15-7 on the season and 7-3 in Summit League play
• USD has now won three straight matches for the third time this season
• Samantha Laird led the Yotes in kills for the first time this season with nine
• Over her last five sets played, Audrey Nelson has 18 kills on 26 swings with no errors
• The Yotes had five players register 7+ kills on the night
• Morgan Bode and Nelson had matching 7-0-15 attacking stat lines on the night
• Ava Ball tallied her first career ace