University of South Dakota Athletics

DES MOINES, Iowa –  South Dakota volleyball earned a 3-1 win over Drake at the Knapp Center to kick off the Drake Invitational and 2026 season Friday night. 

Lauren Medeck didn't miss a beat from her sophomore to junior season, as she paced the Coyotes in the first set with six kills on 14 swings. Opposite of Medeck, Audrey Nelson was nearly perfect in the opening frame with five kills on six swings. The duo would end the night with a combined 26 kills. 

Medeck and Nelson each had two kills each and Sierra Pokharel had an ace as the Yotes started the match with a quick 5-2 run. The Bulldogs, however, regrouped and would take and extend the lead to 17-13 late in the first set. Nelson curbed the Bulldog momentum, and jumpstarted the Coyote attack that would end the set on a 12-1 run, with contributions from a number of Coyotes, to win the first 25-18.

The Bulldogs found their footing in the second frame, hitting .311 while holding USD to .125 as they won 25-16 to even the match at 1-1. Gabi Zachariasen found her swing, a precursor to the third set, with four kills on five swings with no errors in the second. 

Zachariasen took over for the Coyote attack with seven kills, the most in a single set by anyone on the night, in the third frame. She was dominant at the midway point of the frame to help USD build a lead as she was responsible for five kills during an 8-1 run. Medeck's 12^th kill of the night moved the Yotes to set point, and Avery Van Hook put USD up 2-1 in the match with a kill. 

The Coyotes tallied five aces, and the block picked up with three total blocks and four Coyotes had multiple kills in the fourth set. In similar fashion to the third, USD began to pull away once they reached 10 points, this time with a 7-2 run featuring aces from Pokharel, Samantha Untiedt and Zachariasen. A kill from Amanda Loschen, assisted by Des Moines native Ella Rogers, moved it to match point and Zachariasen notched her second ace to give USD a 3-1 win. 

South Dakota hit .238 on the night and held Drake to a .191 hitting percentage, while also holding the edge in digs (80-68) and aces (8-5).

Zachariasen, in her first career match, led USD with 16 kills and had a .353 swing rate, while Medeck had a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs and Nelson had 12 kills. 
Van Hook dished out 45 assists and led the match with 23 digs, while Pokharel and Untiedt had 15 and 10 digs, respectively. Pokharel also served up four aces. 

The Coyotes return to the Knapp Center tomorrow to face Milwaukee at 3 p.m.

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