VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota volleyball picked up its 17^th win of the season Thursday night and secured a regular season sweep of Omaha with a 3-1 win inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. 
 
Audrey Nelson led the Yotes with 10 kills on the night, her third match in a row with double-digit kills on a .292 hitting percentage. Nelson also tallied four blocks and three digs. Ava Ball did a little bit of everything with nine kills, two aces and seven digs. Morgan Bode put away eight kills, had four blocks (one solo) and an ace. 
 
Avery Van Hook dished out 26 assists, had a match-high 18 digs and served up a season-high three aces. Sierra Pokharel matched her career-high of three aces, while Kamryn Farris had two aces. Farris also secured her fourth career double-double with 10 assists and 10 digs.
 
Behind a .458 hitting percentage in the opening set and a 12-3 run, the Mavericks cruised to a 25-14 set one win. The Yotes put together a 5-0 run to pull within six, 20-14, but the Mavericks scored the next five to take the opener.
 
Nelson got into a bit of rhythm in the second set as she put away four kills on nine swings and took part in a pair of blocks. A back-and-forth second set saw the Yotes take control late, and they were the first to reach 20 points while holding a four-point edge. After a block by the Mavericks to make the score 20-17, the Coyotes rattled off five straight to pull the match even at one set apiece. Nelson had her hands all over the five unanswered USD points, as she put away a pair of kills and teamed up with Amanda Loschen for a block that won the set for the Yotes. 
 
Farris helped keep the momentum on the Yotes side to kick off the third set with back-to-back aces as USD built an early 5-1 lead. The first of two 3-0 Coyote runs saw a pair of Bode kills sandwich a Pokharel ace, while Nelson and Loschen teamed up for a block and Ball put away a kill to take a 15-9 edge. After the Mavs pulled within striking range of the Coyote lead, 16-14, USD would secure nine of the next 12 rallies to take set three 25-17.
 
With their backs against the wall, it was the Mavs who jumped out ahead early in the fourth set, 8-4. The Yotes grabbed the lead off a 6-1 run, 12-11, started by a Ball kill, a Van Hook ace and the Coyote setter would call her own number for her second kill of the night. From that point on, the score would tie four times and change hands twice, before the Yotes closed out the fourth set in similar fashion to the second with five straight points. Ball closed out the match with her second ace of the five-point run to give USD the 3-1 win.
 
The Coyotes are back in the SCSC Saturday for Senior Day where they will recognize their lone senior, Kamryn Farris, following the match against Kansas City at 11 a.m.
 
Notes
·       The Yotes improve to 17-8 on the season, 9-4 in conference play and 9-3 at home
·       With the win tonight head coach Leanne Williamson has tied the Summit League record for most overall wins (248) and Summit League wins (146)
·       The Coyotes are now 8-0 on the season in matches following a loss
·       Audrey Nelson led the Yotes in kills for the second time this season and has tallied double-digit kills in four of the last five matches
·       Kamryn Farris recorded her fourth career double-double with 10 digs and 10 assists
·       Farris tallied double-digit digs for the 86^th time in her career
·       Avery Van Hook now has 49 double-doubles in her Coyote career and set a new season-high with three aces
·       Ava Ball matched her career-high with two aces
·       The Yotes had 11 aces on the night, marking the fourth time this season they've had 10+ in a match