Volleyball
South Dakota volleyball splits weekend with Omaha
USD volleyball split matches over the weekend against the Omaha Mavericks, sweeping Sunday’s match and losing in five sets Monday night. During the first matchup Sunday night the Coyotes defeated the Mavericks in a 3-0 sweep inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center (SCSC). USD showed a strong defensive display during the home opener winning 25-16, […]
Coyotes pick up 3rd loss of season against #14 Creighton
The USD volleyball team fell to the #14 Creighton Bluejays in five sets (25-18, 26-24, 20-25, 23-25, 7-15) on Sunday to make the Coyotes’ record 1-3 on the season. The loss follows USD’s five-set win against the Bluejays on Friday night which gave USD its first win against a top-25 team in program history. USD’s […]
USD volleyball ‘excited’ for upcoming season, Slaughter to use her COVID year
The USD women’s volleyball team is slated to begin their first games of the season Jan. 22-23 in the Missouri State Tournament. This will be the first time the Coyotes have played in over a year after finishing runner up to Georgia Tech at the NIVC Tournament in Nov. 2019. The team has used the […]
Coyotes seniors react to extra year of eligibility
Similar to the NCAA’s decision to give spring and fall sport athletes an extra year of eligibility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA has now done the same for winter sport athletes. Sami Slaughter, a senior outside-hitter for USD’s volleyball team, said she is excited the NCAA made this decision. “(The ruling) […]
Student-athletes register to vote for Coyote points
As a way to engage student athletes with this year’s election, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) offered an incentive for every registered athlete the team would receive a Coyote point. Whichever team has the most Coyote points at the end of the year receives more funding for their program and uses it for things […]
Expectations remain high for USD volleyball despite season delay
The Coyote volleyball team is coming off their most successful season at the Division I level on paper, but head coach Leanne Williamson said this success has been building for years. “The people coming back know what that is and the people that have been recruited here and are starting their freshman year got recruited […]
Turning boredom into a blog
The past six months have brought a lot of change for Madison Jurgens — a junior setter for the Coyotes volleyball squad. One of these changes, she said, has been having too much time on her hands. While some opted for Tiktok dances and Netflix binges, Jurgens decided to stir away from the 15 seconds […]
Summit League Delays Start of Fall Sports Competition, Moves to Conference Only
The Summit League Presidents Council announced on Tuesday afternoon that the League’s Joint Council supported a delay to the beginning of the fall athletic competition until Sept. 23. The Summit League will also compete in conference-only matches for soccer and volleyball Fall competitive schedules for men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf and […]
Summer Issue: On both sides of the net: Williamson on coaching, caretaking
Mothering three young children and managing a team of 17 young adults requires the same elements: work, time and dedication. USD head volleyball coach Leanne Williamson wears both hats. Williamson found herself on the road almost every weekend for the first month of the 2019 season, away for non-conference volleyball tournaments. Her husband was overseas […]
Rising sophomore Elizabeth Juhnke looks to build off successful freshman campaign
Summit League Freshman of the Year, Elizabeth Juhnke, made an immediate impact when she joined the Coyote volleyball team last fall. The six-foot outside hitter from Lakeville, Minn. was a part of the 16-0 Summit League regular season team and led the Summit League with 520 kills. Juhnke said making an immediate impact was exactly […]