Impressive weekend gears volleyball up for conference matches

Honors keep coming for the University of South Dakota volleyball team, and this time it’s not just for senior Kendall Kritenbrink, who is adding to her record-breaking career every time she steps on court.

After a weekend with two big wins over Creighton and Colorado, senior defensive specialist Riley Haug was named the Summit League’s Defensive Player of the Week. Haug posted 23 digs in both victories and 18 against No. 16 Illinois in a defeat.

The senior’s weekend performance came at the right time as the Coyotes were able to pick up their first program win over Creighton, finish second in the Creighton University Tournament and begin conference play Friday against North Dakota State.

“We’ve been playing Creighton for four years, and this is the first time we’ve finally beat them,” Haug said. “We gave all we’ve got because we want to win our last shot. Everybody played well, not just the seniors.”

During the tournament, Coyote volleyball (6-6) showed where its strengths are and why they are one of the favorites in the Summit League.

In their 3-1 victory over Colorado, three USD players recorded double digit kills while snapping the Buffaloes’ eight-game win streak in the process.

Top that with a back line led by Haug’s 23 digs, and the Coyotes proved that balance and depth from front to back works.

Then there was Brittany Jessen, who recorded 52 assists in the team’s win over Creighton. Jessen credited her big day to her team’s commitment to defense.

“We played really well together as a team,” Jessen said. “We’ve been focusing on small aspects of our games, so we can put it together in the games.”

And Kritenbrink made her presence known as well.

In a five-set win over the home team, Kritenbrink piled on 29 kills and 21 digs — a personal record for Kritenbrink. Kritenbrink and Haug ended the tournament with all-tournament honors as well.

First-year head coach Leanne Williamson said the team meshed this weekend, and players like Haug and Kritenbrink can’t have performances like they did without their teammates.

“It helps to have returners, to have those upperclassmen that have been there for some big matches,” Williamson said. “They know how to defense each other and how to lean on one another.”

Now the challenge comes in a tough conference season, starting with NDSU (5-8).

The Coyotes swept NDSU last season, winning 3-1 in both contests. But the motivating factor for USD is the sour taste from the conference tournament last year.

“Playing those three teams this weekend was great right before conference,” Haug said. “We came in as the underdogs and no one expected us to play very well. Playing those teams and beating Colorado and Creighton gave us great confidence for conference.”

Three matches in five days will test the Coyotes, but Williamson said playing in front of the home crowd is exciting.

“Preseason is great, but conference is really where it starts,” she said. “We’ve played a really tough preseason schedule to get us ready for conference.”

The regular season home opener and conference opener begins Friday at 7 p.m. in the DakotaDome.

(Senior Riley Haug serves the ball during the Red vs. White scrimmage in the DakotaDome August 23 in the DakotaDome. Malachi Petersen / The Volante)