Volleyball Sweeps St. Thomas, Falls in Fifth to SDSU

South Dakota volleyball moved up to the second seat in the Summit League with a sweep over St. Thomas before dropping a five-set match to South Dakota State, falling back to third in conference standings.

The Coyotes opened the weekend strong with a 3-0 win over St. Thomas on Friday in St. Paul. 

Audrey Nelson led USD with 11 kills, while Morgan Bode added nine kills, three blocks and two aces. Setter Avery Van Hook recorded her 3,000th career assist in the victory, finishing with 30 assists and 17 digs for her 14th double-double of the season.

Kamryn Farris anchored the defense with 21 digs and two aces, as USD held the Tommies to a .117 hitting percentage, which was the seventh time this year they’ve held an opponent below .150. 

The Coyotes improved to 16-7 at the time overall and 8-3 in league play with their fourth straight win.

Less than 48 hours later, South Dakota met South Dakota State in Brookings for the second Interstate Series match of the year. The Jackrabbits claimed a 3-2 win despite a strong offensive night from USD.

Ava Ball posted a career-high 17 kills, while Samantha Laird tied her career best with 12. Bode added 10 kills and eight blocks, and Van Hook distributed a match-high 45 assists. Farris again led the back row with 15 digs.

USD took the first set 25-22 and forced a fifth with a 25-19 fourth-set win, but the Jackrabbits pulled away in the deciding frame 15-8. 

The loss dropped South Dakota to 8-4 in Summit League play and back to third in the standings.

The Coyotes return to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. to face Omaha, and two days after Kansas City comes to town for an 11 a.m. matinee.