VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota volleyball is back in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this week for its first home regular season matches starting on Thursday night when they face Utah Valley at 7 p.m. 

South Dakota beings the home classic against Utah Valley on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Yotes then face Air Force Friday at 7 p.m. and close out the weekend against Northern Iowa Saturday at 2 p.m.

Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes started last weekend strong with a 3-1 win over host Drake, and swept head coach Leanne Williamson's alma mater Milwaukee in the second match of the weekend. The Coyotes battled Sunday but fell to BIG EAST's DePaul 3-1. 
• Gabi Zachariasen had quite a debut for the Yotes with a team-leading 16 kills, six digs and two aces while hitting .353 in the win over the Bulldogs. She tallied eight aces on the weekend, including four aces in the sweep of Milwaukee. 
• Avery Van Hook dished out 124 assists in Des Moines, ranking her at No. 18 across the country as of Wednesday. As a team, the Yotes enter the weekend ranked No. 6 with a 14.36 assists per set average. 
• After facing the No. 2 team picked in the Missouri Valley Conference last weekend (Drake), the Coyotes will face the MVC preseason favorite in Northern Iowa Saturday. The Yotes are searching for the program's first win over UNI in the series history.
• Over the last five years, the Coyotes are 13-2 at its home tournament, the South Dakota Classic, and 19-2 since 2018. 
• There will be plenty of familiar faces on the South Dakota squad again this year with zero players leaving through the transfer portal and with no 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 253-111 record. Williamson set Summit League records for overall career wins and conference wins in 2025.

How to Follow

• Every match this weekend at the South Dakota Classic will be streamed on the Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus. 
• Live stats for each match can be found at yote.us/stats.

South Dakota Classic

• South Dakota is 19-2 all-time at its home tournament, the South Dakota Classic and 13-2 over the past five seasons. 
• The Coyotes went 2-1 at the classic in 2025 with wins over Villanova and a sweep of Drake but fell 3-1 to Wichita State. 
• Lauren Medeck led the Yotes in kills in all three matches, averaging 14.3 kills per match. 

You've Been Served

• After the first weekend of play, Gabi Zachariasen who features a top spin serve, ranks No. 16 in the NCAA with eight aces. 
• She is No. 21 in the country in aces per set (0.80) and leads the Summit League in both categories. 
• Zachariasen had multiple aces in all three matches at the Drake Invitational, including a career high four in the Coyotes' sweep of Milwaukee. 
• Sierra Pokharel was money in the season opening win over Drake with four 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.
• After the weekend of action, Van Hook is No. 15 in the NCAA in assists per set (11.27) and No. 18 in assists (124). 
• Behind Van Hook's delivery, three Coyotes are averaging over 3.0 kills per set led by Lauren Medeck's 3.91 average and followed by Gabi Zachariasen (3.10) and Audrey Nelson (3.09). 
• When out of system, Sierra Pokharel has chipped in with 20 assists. 
• As a team, the Yotes rank No. 6 in the NCAA in assists per set (14.36).
• Van Hook also leads the Coyotes with 50 total digs and set a new career high of 23 in the season opener against Drake.

Returning Production

• The Coyotes return 92.3% of their points, 93.8% of kills and 97.8% of their blocks from 2025. 
• Lauren Medeck headlines the returning production on the outside, as she put away 345 kills to lead the team despite missing five matches in her sophomore season.
• In total, USD returns its top-six in kills from last year. 
• Avery Van Hook is back to guide the Coyote attack after a stellar junior season where she dished out 1,153 assists (No. 32 in the NCAA) and held a 10.2 assists per set average (No. 36 in the NCAA).
• Morgan Bode (110 blocks) and Amanda Loschen (95.0 blocks) combined for over 200 blocks in 2025.
• The Coyote backrow retains 70.6% of its dig total from 2025, as now alum Kamryn Farris was responsible for 536 of USD's 1,885 digs. Farris was No. 24 in the NCAA in total digs in 2025. 
• The Yotes, however, return plenty of experience at defensive specialist as Sierra Pokharel and Samantha Untiedt recorded 240 and 238 digs in 2025. 

1,000-300-100 Club

• Avery Van Hook finished the 2025 campaign as one of five players in the NCAA to tally 1,000+ assists, 300+ digs and 100+ kills. 
• Van Hook recorded 20 double-doubles in 2025 and has 53 total in her career at USD. 
• She tallied five or more kills in 11 matches in 2025 and nearly recorded her first triple-double in a four-set match against Wichita State with 39 assists, 16 digs and seven kills.
• Van Hook set new career high marks in assists with 58 (twice) against Omaha and St. Thomas in digs with 22 in a reverse sweep of Florida Gulf Coast in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. 

Home Sweet Home

• The Coyotes have excelled on their home court under Williamson with a 107-27 record. 
• Prior to the 2016 season, the Yotes played in 'The Coyote Den' in the DakotaDome.
• Beginning in 2016, South Dakota has called the Sanford Coyote Sports Center home and have accumulated an 86-19 (81.9%) overall record and 58-13 (81.7%) mark in Summit League Matches.
• USD totaled five sweeps in the SCSC a season ago.
• A new addition to the SCSC in 2024 was the addition of the Teraflex floor in the SCSC. The Yotes became the third Summit League school to utilize a Teraflex floor. 
• Since the 2019 season, the Coyotes have ranked inside or just outside the top-50 nationally for average home attendance. 
• The Coyotes highest ranking for home attendance average was the 2021 season when they ranked No. 40 in the NCAA. 
• *The Yotes ranked No. 14 in the NCAA during the adjusted 2020-21 season due to COVID.  

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