South Dakota volleyball defeated North Dakota 3-0 on Saturday in Vermillion, S.D., to celebrate Senior Day, extend its win streak to 13 matches, and close the regular season with a 20-5 overall record and a 13-1 mark in the Summit League, University of South Dakota Athletics reported.
The Coyotes honored five seniors before the match: Avery Van Hook, Amanda Loschen, Amelia Dugger, Samantha Laird and Katherine Thompson. Van Hook contributed 29 assists, 10 digs, seven kills on eight swings, and an ace. Lauren Medeck led the match with 12 kills on a .417 clip, while Morgan Bode added eight kills on a .615 hitting percentage.
Loschen hit .444 with four kills and three blocks, helping the team achieve a .330 hitting percentage with four Coyotes hitting .400 or higher on eight or more swings. Sierra Pokharel recorded a match-high 17 digs and served two of the team’s aces.
North Dakota initially took a 5-2 lead in the first set, but South Dakota responded with a 13-2 run and cruised to a 25-15 victory behind a .353 hitting percentage. In the second set, the Coyotes used a 6-0 run and later an 18-8 advantage before Carly Ries secured the set-winning kill for a 2-0 match lead.
Although North Dakota opened the third set with five straight points and held the lead for most of the frame, Van Hook tied the score at 18-18, and the Coyotes closed out the match with an 8-2 run to take the final set 25-20.
With the victory, South Dakota holds the eighth-longest win streak in the country and is one of 11 teams with a double-digit win streak. Head coach Leanne Williamson’s squad reached the 20-win mark for the eighth time under her leadership and the third straight season, securing double-digit conference wins for the 11th year.
As the Summit League Regular Season Champions and the tournament’s No. 1 seed, South Dakota will next play in the Summit League Tournament in Brookings, South Dakota, facing the winner of No. 4 Omaha and No. 5 North Dakota State on Monday, November 23, at 3 p.m.
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