Coyotes Fall to St. Thomas In the Summit League to End Their Season

The USD women’s volleyball team season ended Monday night when the Coyotes fell 3-2 to the St. Thomas Tommies in the Summit League Championship semifinals at First Bank & Trust Arena, coming up short in a back-and-forth match that determined who advanced to Tuesday’s title round.

Freshman outside hitter Ava Ball led the Coyotes’ offense with a career high 20 kills on .296 hitting, giving the Coyotes steady scoring throughout the five-set match.

Senior libero Kamryn Farris anchored the backcourt with 32 digs, her first match this season surpassing the 30-dig mark and the fifth such performance of her career.

Freshman libero, Sierra Pokharel also turned in her best outing as a Coyote, posting a career-high 19 digs and adding two aces.

Setter Avery Van Hook matched her career best with 58 assists and added 16 digs for her 20th double-double on the season.

The Coyotes spread its attack across the lineup, finishing with five players in double figures: Sophomore Lauren Medeck and Junior Amanda Loschen each having 12 kills, Sophomore Audrey Nelson added 11, and Sophomore Morgan Bode contributed with 10 kills. Loschen hit .400 and totaled seven blocks, while Medeck recorded a double-double with 13 digs.

Statistically, the Coyotes held several advantages, finishing with more kills (67-56), digs (97-93), and aces (6-3). 30 attack errors was costly, which helped St. Thomas gain control in key moments.

South Dakota stumbled in the opening set despite a strong kill total, as hitting errors and missed serves allowed the Tommies to stay in front from the first point. 

The Coyotes regrouped in set two, sparked by a quick-start from Ball and steady distribution from Van Hook. USD built a 16-11 lead, survived a late St. Thomas push and closed with kills from Loschen and Medeck and an ace from Pokharel to tie the match.

In the third match, the Coyotes kept up their momentum behind one of their most efficient stretches of the night, hitting .394 with 16 kills. A 9-1 run broke the set open, fueled by a long service stretch from Medeck and three consecutive kills from Ball to put USD up 2-1. 

USD again jumped ahead early in the fourth, but St. Thomas responded with a six-point swing to take control midway through the set. The Coyotes briefly reclaimed momentum with kills from Bode and an ace from Katherine Thompson, but the Tommies closed on a strong run to force a deciding fifth set.

St. Thomas carried their momentum into the final set, acing out to an 11-4 lead right away. The Coyotes cut the fall to four behind late kills, but the Tommies closed the match with back-to-back points to secure the 3-2 victory.

The South Dakota Coyotes finished the season at 20-9, led by a freshman breakout from Ball, a career night from Pokharel, and another elite defensive showing by lone-senior Farris in her final postseason match.