VERMILLION, S.D. — A pair of career nights highlighted the Coyotes four-set win (25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 25-23) over previously undefeated Villanova Thursday on day one of the South Dakota Classic.
 
Morgan Bode hit a blistering .448 on the night as she put away a career high 16 kills on 29 swings. She also set a new career-best with three solo blocks on her way to six total rejections on the night. Sam Untiedt also reset her career-highs with five service aces and 17 digs.
 
Lauren Medeck led the way with 17 kills, two blocks and eight digs, while Amanda Loschen had 11 kills at a .435 clip with two blocks. Avery Van Hook had 49 assists and 14 digs. Kamryn Farris led the Coyote backrow with 22 digs and an ace, while Sierra Pokharel had 12 digs for the second straight match.
 
The Coyotes opened the match with a 7-2 run featuring a pair of blocks, three kills from Medeck and back-to-back aces from Untiedt. The Yotes continued their quick start to grab an 11-3 lead following a Samantha Laird kill. USD kept the Wildcats at bay through the remainder of the set, and after a kill from Audrey Nelson and an ace from Farris, the Yotes were on set point. Bode put away the final point as the match moved to set two with the Yotes leading 1-0.
 
South Dakota pounced early in set two to build a 12-3 lead. A Medeck kill started a 9-0 run where she was heavily involved with five kills. Untiedt served up her third ace, while Bode put away two kills of her own in the run. Villanova would chip away at USD's lead, but after a pair of Wildcat service errors the Yotes were on set point. Bode capped off the second frame with a solo block as USD took the set 25-19 and went up 2-0. Medeck and Bode accounted for 13 of the Yotes 15 kills in the second set with eight and five, respectively.
 
Bode carried her momentum into the third, putting away five kills on six swings with two more blocks (one solo). Loschen found her rhythm in third with a .444 hitting percentage and five kills. However, it was the Wildcats who came out of the break and grabbed an early 6-1 lead, which they would hold throughout the set. USD pulled within two late, 23-21, but Villanova would take the set 25-22. Villanova had just one more kill (16-15) than the Yotes in the set but would hit .289 while holding USD to a .220 clip.
 
After only having one lead change and five total ties across the first three sets, the fourth frame saw a pair of lead changes and the score tied on 13 occasions. The Yotes would hold the largest lead of either team at 21-18 following Bode's third solo block. South Dakota held the lead or was tied with the Wildcats up until Villanova took a 22-21 lead after four straight points. A Medeck kill, followed by a Wildcat error, gave the Yotes a 23-22 edge, but the score was immediately tied after a Villanova kill. Bode put away her 16^th kill, a new career high, to move USD to match point, and Loschen closed out the match with her 11^th termination.
 
The Coyotes return to the SCSC tomorrow night to face Wichita State at 7 p.m. on day two of the South Dakota Classic.
 
Notes

• South Dakota earns the first win in the series against Villanova
• Morgan Bode set career-highs in kills (16) and solo blocks (3) while hitting .448 on the night
• Sam Untiedt also recorded career-highs in aces (5) and digs (17)
• Untiedt's five aces is tied for the third most in a four-set match in program history
• Kamryn Farris reached 20+ digs for the fourth time this season with 22
• Amanda Loschen hit .435 on the night, her fourth time this season at .400+
• Lauren Medeck led USD in kills (17) for the ninth time this season
• With an ace tonight, Kamryn Farris moved into 10^th all-time in the USD record book for career aces (122)
• Avery Van Hook eclipsed 2,500 career assists in the win
• Three Coyotes reached double-digit kills, while four had 12 or more digs
• USD has now won 27 straight matches when taking the first two sets