VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota Women's Basketball opens its' 56^th season Monday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center, taking on York at 7:30 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
• South Dakota women's basketball against York will be available to watch on the Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus.
• Fans can listen to the Coyotes on KVHT 106.3 FM on the Coyote Sports Network with Jerry Palleschi on the broadcast.
 
GETTING STARTED
• South Dakota women's basketball begins its' 56th season Monday night in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
• This is South Dakota's 15th season of NCAA Division I eligibility and the third under head coach Carrie Eighmey.
• The Coyotes are 38-17 in season openers in program history, and won last season's opener 104-33 over York.
• South Dakota is coming off a deep playoff run, making the WNIT Fab Four last season and playing in just the second all-time April basketball game in program history.
• South Dakota had one of the nation's best turnarounds last season, going from 11 wins to 26, tied for the second best win improvement in Division I.
• The 26 wins last season is the 18th time the Coyotes have passed the 20-win threshold in program history.
• South Dakota's 26 wins were the most in a season since the 2021-22 season when South Dakota made their Sweet 16 run.
• The Coyotes won 15 games inside their home arena last season, marking the second most in a single season since the building opened for the 2016-17 season.
• South Dakota returns six players from last year's squad, including preseason first team all-Summit League honoree Molly Joyce, last year's Summit League Newcomer of the Year.
• The Coyotes also welcome four transfers and four freshmen to the fold this season.
 
INSIDE THE YORK (NEB.) SERIES
• The Coyotes and Panthers meet for the 3rd time in series history.
• For the second straight season, the Coyotes open their season with a opening night home game against York.
• Last season, it was a resounding 104-33 win in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
• Katy Reyerson, in her Coyote debut, tallied 16 points in the win.
• Alyssa Bartlett made her collegiate debut against the Panthers last season, tallying 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
• All 14 Coyotes who played in the season opener a year ago scored in the game.
• South Dakota also set an SCSC record for blocks in a game, recording 12 in the win.
 
RECORD VS THE NAIA
• The Coyotes are riding a 62-game win streak against NAIA opponents entering the 2026-27 season, and are undefeated against NAIA's in the Division I era.
• South Dakota went 2-0 last season against NAIA schools, including the win over York to open the season.
• South Dakota's last loss to an NAIA was in the 2001-02 season, when Dakota Wesleyan earned a win over the Yotes.
• South Dakota's other NAIA game a season ago was a 95-42 win over College of Saint Mary on Dec. 30.
 
THIS DATE IN COYOTE HISTORY
• The Coyotes have never played a game on November 2nd.
• Over the last three season, South Dakota has opened the season one day earlier: Nov. 4, 2024 vs Saint Louis, Nov. 3, 2025 vs. York, Nov. 2, 2026 vs. York.
 
PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE
• The Summit League's 2025-26 Newcomer of the Year and Second Team all-conference honoree Molly Joyce (Sr. Algona, Iowa) was named to the preseason first team this season.
• Joyce, a senior from Algona, Iowa, was a breakout star during Summit League play averaging 15.8 points per game with six 20-point efforts.
• Joyce was one of the best free throw shooters in the  nation last season, especially during the conference slate when she hit 86.4% of her attempts.
• Joyce had her first 30-point scoring game as a Yote during the WNIT run last season, totaling 31 in a win over Montana State.
• Joyce was also a star against the top teams on the Coyote schedule a season ago, averaging 17.0 points on 42.9% shooting against NET Top 100 teams, leading the Coyotes in scoring in those seven games.
 
CRASH THE GLASS
• The Coyotes saw a major improvement from coach Eighmey's first season to her second in rebounding, becoming one of the Summit League's and nation's better rebounding teams.
• USD ranked 69th nationally and finished atop the Summit League in rebounding at 39.6 rebounds per game.
• USD has outrebounded its opponents in 25 games last season, going 23-2 in those games.
• South Dakota broke the SCSC record for rebounds in a game twice last season, with the new record being against College of Saint Mary with 63.
• The Coyotes previously set an SCSC record with 62 rebounds against Valparaiso.
 
DEFENSE WINS
• South Dakota was best defensive team in the Summit League last season, holding opponents to 58.8 points per game.
• The Coyotes lead the Summit League in scoring defense (58.8), field goal percentage defense (36.1%), and three-point percentage defense (28.7%).
• The Coyotes also ranked inside the top 50 nationally in two major categories: 15th in FG% defense, 42nd in scoring defense.
• South Dakota has held opponents under 30% shooting in eight games this season.
 
STEPPING UP
• Jenna Hopp (Sr., Glenwood, Iowa) transferred to South Dakota last season after two years at rival South Dakota State, and now will step into a leadership role as a senior for the Yotes this winter.
• Hopp averaged 6.6 points and 2.9 rebounds last season on over 24 minutes per game.
• Hopp made 26 starts last season, appearing in 28 total games.
• Hopp stepped up to the challenge against top level opponents last season, averaging 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.1 steals against NET Top 100 teams (7 games).
• Hopp scored 13 points three times last season, including against Montana State in the WNIT Great 8.
 
SENIOR TRANSFERS
• South Dakota brought in four senior transfers in 2025-26 who made their impact known and left their mark on the program. This season, Bri Robinson (Sr., Lincoln, Neb.) and Latazia Williamson (Sr., Nashville, Tenn.) are senior transfers looking to make an immediate impact.
• Robinson comes to South Dakota after three seasons at Northern Iowa. Robinson projects to play a major role at point guard for the Coyotes this season.
• Limited to 24 games and 18 starts last season, Robinson averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Panthers.
• Williamson joined the Coyotes after one season at Kennesaw State, and saw action for Memphis for two seasons before that.
• A key post player for the Owls last season, Williamson averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and over one block per game.
• Both Robinson and Williamson have big shoes to fill, looking to replace two key pieces of last year's squad in Angelina Robles and Patience Williams.
 
SECOND-YEAR VET
• After seeing action in the starting lineup and playing in all 36 games as a freshman a season ago, Tori Schlagel (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) looks to make a jump in her second season.
• Schlagel was the first Coyote freshman to begin her first season as a starter since Maddie Krull started as a true freshman in 2020-21.
• Schlagel's best game as a Yotes came at home against Kansas City on Feb. 12, totaling 17 points, and four steals, both career-highs.
• Playing nearly 20 minutes per game as a freshman, Schlagel totaled 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
• Schlagel is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
 
WELCOME TO VERMILLION
• Four players are coming to Vermillion as transfers this fall, including Ava Miller (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) and Gabby Jackson (So., Shawnee, Kan.)
• Miller joins the Coyotes after spending last season in Grand Forks with North Dakota.
• As a member of the Fighting Hawks, Miller was a high-level rebounder and scorer, averaging 7.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 31 games, including 28 starts. She also recorded 45 assists during the season.
• Jackson makes her way to Vermillion from North Alabama, where she was one of the top freshmen in the ASUN Conference.
• A member of the ASUN all-Freshman team and twice named ASUN freshman of the week, Jackson averaged 7.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in 31 games, including 19 starts.
 
TOP-RANKED FRESHMEN
• The four freshmen coming to South Dakota this fall will look to make an impact on the court right away, as they were ranked a top 15 recruiting class in the nation by 247Sports.
• 247Sports had South Dakota's 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 14 in Division I.
• Natalie Ramsey (North Liberty, Iowa) was a multi-time Class 5A all-State performer for Liberty HS. She averaged over 20-points per game and was a top-100 recruit according to 247Sports.
• Livi Downs (Mankato, Minn.) started five seasons for Mankato West, totaling over 1,000 points and 500 assists. Set the school record with 42 points in a game her senior year.
• Rowan Jacobi (Springville, Iowa) was the Iowa Class 1A Player of the Year in both volleyball and basketball and was the Gazette Player of the Year.
• Jacobi totaled 2,103 points and 1,150 rebounds in her career at Springville HS.
• Ashlan Carlow (Pine Ridge, S.D.) made back-to-back state title games for the Crusaders, and tallied 1,705 points, 673 rebounds, 556 assists, and 461 steals during her prep career. Her final two years of high school the Crusaders went 47-2.
• Carlow is also a state hurdle champion in track.
 
10 YEARS OF SCSC SUCCESS
• South Dakota women's basketball is in its 11th season of calling the Sanford Coyote Sports Center, a building that has treated the Yotes well.
• USD is 122-28 inside the SCSC since the building opened in 2016.
• The 15 wins inside the SCSC last season were the second most in a single season.
• The Coyotes have had a winning record in the SCSC in 9 of the 10 seasons played in the SCSC.
• South Dakota has a record of 64-15 against Summit League foes in the SCSC, including a winning record against all eight current foes.
• USD is undefeated against two Summit League opponents in the building: North Dakota (9-0) and Kansas City (5-0).
• South Dakota has had two undefeated seasons at home during the SCSC era: 2018-19 and 2020-21.
• USD's first win against a Top 25 opponent during the Div. I era came in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center (No. 23/22 Iowa State on Nov. 28, 2018).
   
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