VERMILLION, S.D. — After a 3-0 week, the South Dakota volleyball team returns to the Sanford Coyotes Sport Center for a pair of home matches this week. The Omaha Mavericks come to town on Thursday night, followed by Kansas City on Saturday when the Coyotes will celebrate Senior Day.
 
Where To Watch

• Both of South Dakota's matches this week can be found on the Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus.
• Cole Larsch will be on the call for Thursday's match against Omaha, while Jackson Garstecki will be on the mic Saturday.
   

Key Storylines

• South Dakota will play two at home inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this week starting on Thursday against Omaha.
• The Coyotes will honor their lone senior, Kamryn Farris, following Saturday's match against Kansas City.
• Head coach Leanne Williamson is on the verge of making Summit League history as she sits just two wins away from becoming the conference's winningest coach. Williamson enters this week with 247 career wins and 145 Summit League victories.
• This week will be just the second week of the conference season where the Coyotes have played all of its matches during the week at home.
• Through 12 Summit League matches, the Coyotes are holding opponents to the second lowest hitting percentage in the conference at .186.
• USD leads the conference in digs per set during conference play (15.43), are No. 2 in kills per set (13.68) and No. 3 in blocks per set (2.06).
• The Coyote backrow is among the NCAA's elite ranking No. 19 nationally in digs per set at 16.61. USD ranks No. 22 in total digs with 1,528. USD leads the Summit League in both categories.
• USD's offense, directed by Avery Van Hook, ranks No. 26 in assists per set (12.77), No. 27 in attacks per set (36.9) and No. 24 in kills per set (13.79).
• The reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, Kamryn Farris, leads the Summit League in total digs (430) and digs per set (4.67). She ranks 32nd in the NCAA in digs per set and No. 24 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's No. 3 in the conference in total kills (317) and total points (351.5).
• The floor general, Avery Van Hook, paces the conference with 953 total assists. Last week, she reached 3,000 career assists in the Coyotes sweep of St. Thomas.
• Van Hook also leads the league with a 10.36 assists per set average. Van Hook is No. 10 in the NCAA in assists and No. 19 in assists per set.
• Amanda Loschen continues to terminate at a high efficiency as she's hitting .340 with 204 kills on the season. During Summit League play, Loschen is hitting .342 with 98 kills.
• When out of system, the Yotes have turned to Farris who has tallied 136 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 on October 4, 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.
• Freshman Ava Ball lead the Yotes on the outside against South Dakota State last Saturday with a new career-high of 17 kills on a .300 hitting percentage and had two aces and six digs.
• Ball has tallied an ace in each of the last three matches, and had a career-best two against the Jackrabbits.
• Leanne Williamson is in year 12 as the head coach at USD and holds a program best 247-109 record.

 
Our Senior

• South Dakota will recognize its lone senior, Kamryn Farris, following Saturday's match against Kansas City.
• Farris has been a staple in the Coyote lineup since stepping foot on campus, appearing in every match over the last four years.
• Farris enters the week with 1,685 career digs, 139 aces and 471 assists.
• She became just the sixth Yote to eclipse 1,500 digs in a career.
• Farris ranks No. 4 all-time in program history in career digs and is tied for sixth most career aces.
• In the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present), she is No. 3 all-time in digs and No. 3 in aces.
• Farris set a four-set program record last year at St. Thomas with 38 digs, a mark that's tied for seventh most across all matches.
• She also etched her name in the record this season with six aces at Montana State on August 30, which is tied for the second most in a five-set match in Coyote history.

 
Chasing History

• Head coach Leanne Williamson is on the verge of becoming the winningest coach in Summit League history.
• Williamson sits two wins away from breaking both the overall and conference wins record.
• In 12 seasons at the helm, she has amassed 247 career wins and 145 conference victories.
• Since taking over as the bench boss in 2014, the Coyotes have won over 15 games each year and 20+ six times. The Yotes put together a 31-3 record in the 2019 season, including a perfect 16-0 record in Summit League play.
• South Dakota has won 10 or more Summit League matches in 10 of the last 11 seasons under Williamson.
• In each of the last seven seasons, the Coyotes have won either the Summit League regular season or tournament championship. The 2022 season saw USD accumulate a 29-4 record (16-2 SL) and claimed the Summit League title in the regular season and postseason tournament.

 
Ball Out

• Freshman Ava Ball set a new career-high Saturday in the Yotes loss to SDSU with 17 kills on a .300 clip.
• It was Ball's seventh double-digit kill match of the Summit League season and 10th of the season.
• Ball also set a new career-best with two aces, and has had an ace in each of the last three matches.
• Ball has tallied 21 digs over the last three matches.
• She has six matches on the year with a .300+ hitting percentage.
• In the first matches against Omaha and KC, Ball had 14 kills vs the Mavericks and followed that up with 12 kills against the Roos.
• Heating up on the Outside
• Audrey Nelson was on fire at the pin a couple weeks ago as she swung at a .450+ clip in all three matches.
• Nelson started the week with nine kills and just one error for a .471 swing rate in a four-set win over NDSU.
• She matched her career-high of 12 kills in a 3-1 win over Denver Thursday. After Denver took the first set, Nelson was key in the Coyote attack over sets 2-4 as she put away 11 kills on 12 swings with no errors.
• In the sweep of UND Saturday, she posted her second straight errorless match with seven kills on 15 swings (.467%).
• In last week's matches, Nelson put away 10+ kills in both contests and had six blocks.

 
Bode's Block Party

• Morgan Bode set a new four-set program record at Denver (Oct. 4) 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 eclipsed 200 career blocks last week and sits No. 4 in the conference with 83.0 on the season. 

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