VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota volleyball takes its four-match win streak on the road to North Dakota this week where they'll face North Dakota Thursday and North Dakota State Saturday.

How to Follow

• Thursday's match vs North Dakota is available on Midco Sports and the Summit League Network on Midco Sports Plus. 
• Saturday's match vs NDSU is available on the Summit League Network on Midco Sports Plus.
• Live stats can be found at yote.us/stats.

Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes split the series with the Fighting Hawks in 2025, with each team earning a win on their home floors, and won both matches against the Bison. 
• The Coyotes have bounced back nicely after a Summit League opening loss to SDSU with four straight wins to improve to 11-5 on the season and 4-1 in the SL.
• The Yotes are 4-1 on the road with their lone loss at the hands of now RV Colorado State. The Coyotes first conference road week ended with a pair of USD sweeps over St. Thomas and Omaha. 
• Lauren Medeck (offensive) and Sierra Pokharel (defensive) swept this week's Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors. 
• Medeck ranked No. 9 in the NCAA last week with a 5.57 kills/set mark, while Pokharel was No. 25 at 5.43 digs/set. It was Pokharel's second straight week averaging over 5.0 digs/set. 
• Medeck led the way against ORU last Thursday with 19 kills at a .484 clip, her season-high, and the Yotes hit a season-best .454.
• Through three weeks of conference play, Sierra Pokharel leads the league at 4.88 digs/set, Amanda Loschen is No. 1 with a .383 hitting percentage and Avery Van Hook is the only SL setter averaging over 10 assists/set at 11.50. 
• In conference play, USD paces the league in points/set (18.25), assists/set (13.44), kills/set (14.5) and digs per set (19.44). The Yotes hold the No. 2 hitting percentage at .246.
• Pokharel's career high of 32 digs against Northern Iowa is tied for the 10th most in the NCAA in a five-set match and the Yotes' 97 digs vs UNI is tied for the 16th most digs in a five-set match.
• There are plenty of familiar faces on the South Dakota squad again this year with zero players leaving through the transfer portal and with zero additions through the portal. The Yotes graduated just one senior (Kamryn Farris) from last year's roster.  
• South Dakota welcomed two freshmen to the team in Harrisburg, South Dakota, native Gabi Zachariasen and Chloe Kmiecik from Shawnee, Kansas. Zachariasen was a three-time South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year during her prep career.
• Leanne Williamson enters her 13th year leading the Coyotes and holds a 262-115 record. Williamson set Summit League records for overall career wins and conference wins in 2025.

Series History vs North Dakota

• The Coyotes and Fighting Hawks spilt the series in 2025, with each team picking up a win on its home floor.
• USD holds a 20-13 lead in the Division I era and are 9-7 in Grand Forks. 
• Prior to last year's UND win, the Coyotes had won 15 in a row over the Hawks. 
• Lauren Medeck, who only played in the first match in Grand Forks, had 14 kills in four sets for a 3.50 average.
• Audrey Nelson was the most efficient Coyote with 16 kills at a .383 hitting percentage.

Series History vs North Dakota State

• South Dakota is on a four-match overall win streak over the Bison and a three-match win streak in Fargo.
• Avery Van Hook directed the Yotes to a .378 hitting percentage across the two matches with 75 assists, while the Coyote defense held NDSU to a .190 hit%. 
• Lauren Medeck paced the Yotes with 31 total kills and a 4.43 kill/set mark. 
• All five of the Coyotes who averaged over 2.0 kills/set held a hitting percentage above .300, led by Amanda Loschen's .500 hit% and 2.43 kills/set. 

Whole Lotta Digs

• The Coyotes ranked No. 1 in the NCAA two weeks ago (9/28-10/4) with a 22.50 digs per set average.
• Of the six sets played in a pair of Coyote sweeps that week, USD tallied 28+ digs in three of those sets. The 30 digs in set two vs St. Thomas was a single-set season high, and Sierra Pokharel's 12 in set one vs the Tommies was the most by a Coyote in a single set this season. 
• Four Coyotes averaged 3.0+ digs/set, led by Pokharel's 5.17 average. She was followed by Lauren Medeck (4.67), Samantha Untiedt (3.17) and Avery Van Hook (3.17). 
• The four Coyotes (mentioned above) all had double-digit digs in the win at St. Thomas.
• Omaha and St. Thomas hit a combined .125 against the Yotes defense, while the Coyote attack hit .215.
• Pokharel averaged 5.43 digs/set last week (10/5-10/11) for her second straight week above 5.0 digs/set.
• On the season, the Yotes are No. 6 in the NCAA with a 17.39 digs/set mark.

Peak Performers of the Week

• South Dakota became the first team in 2026 to sweep the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors, as Lauren Medeck (offensive) and Sierra Pokharel (defensive) were honored by the league office Tuesday. 
• It was Medeck's first of the season and third of her career, while Pokharel earned her second straight honor and third of the season.
• Medeck ranked No. 9 in the NCAA last week in kills/set at 5.57 to lead the team to a 15.86 kills/set mark which ranked No. 12 in the country. 
• Pokharel headlined a Coyote defense (9/28-10/4) that ranked No. 1 in the NCAA that week with a 22.50 digs/set average.
• Pokharel earned the first Summit League Peak Performer of the Week for the Coyotes on Sept. 8 after helping the Coyotes to a 3-0 record at the South Dakota Classic.
• Pokharel tallied double-digit digs in all three matches, including a career high 32 in a five-set win over Northern Iowa, which was also her first career double-double with 11 assists. Pokharel had 10 digs alone in the fifth set against the Panthers. 
• Ella Rogers, who made her first three career starts, was named the Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week on Sept. 15 following the Coyotes' weekend in Colorado and Wyoming (Sept. 10-Sept. 12)
• Rogers dished out 97 assists, had 10 kills, four blocks and four aces across 10 sets. She put together an all-around performance in the four-set win over Wyoming with 42 assists, 10 digs, four aces, three blocks and six kills on eight swings (no errors). 

Can You Dig it?

• After ending the 2025 season at No. 18 in the NCAA with a 16.68 digs per set average, the Coyote defense has been one of the bests in the country so far this season.
• USD ranks No. 6 in the NCAA in digs per set at 17.39 (as of Oct. 14), led by Sierra Pokharel's 4.09 average.
• Sierra Pokharel leads the Yotes with 229 digs and is followed by Lauren Medeck's 182 and Van Hook's 173.
• The Yotes tallied a season-high 97 digs in the win over UNI and had a single-set high of 26 in set two. 
• USD had 21 digs in the fifth set alone against the Panthers, led by Pokharel's 10 as she set a career high of 32 digs vs UNI.
• In total, the Yotes have tallied 20+ digs in 16 of 49 sets so far this season. 
• The week of the South Dakota Classic (Aug. 31 to Sept. 6), the Coyotes ranked No. 5 in the NCAA in digs/set (18.50) and No. 11 in total digs (222). 
• South Dakota set a new single-set season high in Saturday's win over Kansas City with 35 digs in the third set. 

You've Been Served

• In the Coyotes' seven wins, they have won the serve receive to the tune of 65 aces to 30 reception errors. 
• Gabi Zachariasen, who features a top spin serve, leads the Coyotes in her freshman season with 22 aces (.43/set). Zachariasen started the season with four straight matches with multiple aces and has one ace in each of the last four matches.
• The Coyotes have had three players serve up four aces in a match already this season in Zachariasen vs Milwaukee, Sierra Pokharel vs Drake and Ella Rogers vs Wyoming. 
• In the last four Coyote wins, South Dakota held a 20-12 advantage in serve receive. 
• In South Dakota's five losses, opposing teams hold a 27-22 advantage in service aces.

Pinpoint Delivery

• Avery Van Hook hasn't missed a beat since the 2025 season where she ended her junior season ranked No. 32 in total assists and No. 36 in assists per set in the NCAA.
• Van Hook is No. 18 in the NCAA in assists per set at 10.59. 
• Behind Van Hook's delivery, four Coyotes are averaging over 2.0 kills per set led by Lauren Medeck's 3.73 average and followed by Gabi Zachariasen (2.71), Morgan Bode (2.05) and Audrey Nelson (2.04).
• When out of system, Sierra Pokharel has chipped in with 68 assists. 
• Ella Rogers stepped up for the Yotes over the Sept. 10-12 weekend and made her first three career starts as the setter at USD. 
• Rogers dished out 97 assists (9.7/set) in those matches, and set career highs for assists (42), digs (10), aces (4), blocks (3) and had six kills on eight swings.