Volleyball Hosts Coyote Invitational, falls to #17 Kansas

The South Dakota volleyball team picked up two wins against Green Bay and Florida Gulf Coast before falling to Kansas ranked No. 17 inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Sept. 11-13. 

Sophomore Lauren Medeck paced the Coyotes in game one against Green Bay, recording 13 kills on 31 attacks (19.4%) in the 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-17, 25-16). Senior Kamryn Farris tallied 17 digs and two service aces. 

The Coyotes took on Florida Gulf Coast the following evening, notching a thrilling 3-2 victory (23-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-20, 25-13). Medeck recorded 24 kills on 62 attacks (27.0%) while Amanda Loschen hit 41.4% with 13 kills. Morgan Bode (9) and Audrey Nelson (8) led the Coyotes in blocks in the reverse sweep victory.

In the final game of the invitational, South Dakota took on nationally-ranked Kansas, following the Coyote football overtime win. With 1,796 fans in attendance, Kansas took the match 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-14). 

“It was a great environment,” USD head coach Leanne Williamson said. “1,800 people here after a big football win was great to see.”

South Dakota started out strong in set one, with a 14-11 set lead before Kansas came storming back with a 14-2 run ending the set. 

“[Kansas] had a couple of big runs to end that first set,” Williamson said. “I feel like we kind of lost ourselves a little bit.”

A similar occurrence transpired in set two, with USD jumping out with a 9-4 lead before the Jayhawks answered with a 15-4 run before taking the set 25-16. 

It was a clean sweep for Kansas, winning set three 25-14 with no room for a Coyote comeback. Although the last loss might sting, Williamson said it was a “good weekend” overall.

“Any time you can sweep a team it’s huge, and the reverse sweep of Florida Gulf Coast, who’s an incredible team, is a great feeling,” she said. “We went 2-1 on our home court against tough opponents, there’s a lot to be proud of. We can’t wait to do it again next week.”

The Coyotes will host Villanova, Wichita State, and Drake as part of the South Dakota Classic on Sept. 18-20. They open Summit League action in Grand Forks, N.D. on Sept. 25.