VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota volleyball returns to the Sanford Pentagon for the first time since 2022 when they take the floor for the South Dakota Lottery College Volleyball Classic this weekend. The Coyotes face Minnesota on Friday at 7 p.m. for their first match of the Classic and Washington on Saturday at noon. 

How to Follow

• Both of South Dakota's matches at the South Dakota Lottery College Volleyball Classic will be available to watch on Midco Sports and Midco Sports Plus. 
• Live stats can be found at pentagon.sidearmsports.com/sidearmstats/wvball

Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes won a five-set thriller over Northern Colorado the last time they were at the Pentagon and are a perfect 5-0 at the Pentagon. 
• For the first time since 2023, the Coyotes have someone new as libero with the graduation of two-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Kamryn Farris. Sierra Pokharel has stepped into that role in her sophomore season and leads the Yotes with 131 digs (3.97/set). 
• Pokharel was named the Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week last Tuesday after recording 57 digs across three matches, including a career-high 32 in a five set win over Northern Iowa. She was key to the defensive efforts in the fifth set, as she tallied 10 digs alone in the final set. Pokharel also recorded her first career double-double in the match with 11 assists.
• Pokharel's 32 digs were the most by a Coyote in a match since Kamryn Farris had 38 in a four-set win at St. Thomas (11/14/24). 
• Ella Rogers made her first of three straight starts last weekend in Colorado and Wyoming, and after guiding the Yotes to a 2-1 record was named this week's Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week. 
• Rogers dished out 97 assists, had 10 kills and four aces in three matches against Colorado State, Wyoming and UC Santa Barbara.
• After First Team All-Summit League and AVCA Northwest All-Region Honorable Mention honors in her sophomore season, Lauren Medeck has picked up right where she left and paces the Coyotes with 120 kills and a 3.64 kills per set average.
• Led by Pokharel's 3.97 digs per set average, the Coyotes rank No. 9 in the NCAA (as of 9/15) in digs per set at 16.85. 
• The Coyotes have tallied 20+ digs in 11 of 33 sets so far this season. USD had a season-set high of 26 in set two against UNI and had 21 digs alone in set five against the Panthers, with 10 coming from Pokharel.
• 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 258-112 record. Williamson set Summit League records for overall career wins and conference wins in 2025.

Undefeated at the Pentagon

• While the Coyotes face two tough Big 10 tests this weekend at the Sanford Pentagon, South Dakota has a track record of success at the Pentagon with a perfect 5-0 record.
• The last time the Yotes were in the Pentagon it was a five-set thriller win over Northern Colorado. 
• Elizabeth Juhnke and Madison Harms went off for the Coyotes with 23 and 22 kills, respectively. Juhnke hit .370 and had a double-double with 12 digs, while Harms hit .633. 
• Juhnke and Harms were both named the Summit League Player of the Year once in their career with Juhnke in 2022 and Harms in 2023. 
• Brooklyn Schram dished out a career-high 58 assists, while Lolo Weideman had 23 digs. 

Peak Performers of the Week

• Sierra 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 this past weekend, was named the Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week on Sept. 15. 
• 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 in midseason form this preseason.
• USD ranks No. 9 in the NCAA in digs per set at 16.85 (as of Sept. 15), led by Sierra Pokharel's 3.97 digs per set average. 
• Pokharel leads the Yotes with 131 digs and is followed by Lauren Medeck's 105 and Avery Van Hook's 96.
• 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 11 of 33 sets so far this season. 

You've Been Served

• In the Coyotes' seven wins, they have won the serve receive to the tune of 45 aces to 18 reception errors. 
• Gabi Zachariasen, who features a top spin serve, ranks leads the Coyotes in her freshman season with 14 aces (.44/set). Zachariasen started the season with four straight matches with multiple aces but has three in the last five. 
• 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 two wins, the Yotes held a 14-3 advantage in serve receive. 

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. 13 in the NCAA in assists per set (10.87).
• Behind Van Hook's delivery, four Coyotes are averaging over 2.0 kills per set led by Lauren Medeck's 3.64 average and followed by Gabi Zachariasen (2.59), Audrey Nelson (2.30) and Morgan Bode (2.00). 
• When out of system, Sierra Pokharel has chipped in with 41 assists. 
• As a team, the Yotes rank No. 31 in the NCAA in assists per set (12.76).
• Ella Rogers stepped up for the Yotes over the 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.

---