Coyotes return to NCAA Volleyball Tournament as Summit League Champions

KANSAS CITY, MO (Dakota News Now) -No. 3 South Dakota defeated No. 1 South Dakota State in five sets (20-25, 25-18, 25-19, 16-25, 15-10) to capture the program’s fifth Summit League Volleyball Championship title in the last seven years. Tuesday at the Swinney Center. By winning the second, third and fifth sets, the Coyotes became the first quarterfinalists to win the cup since the field was expanded to six teams in 2013.

South Dakota had four players score in double figures, led by Championship MVP Kylen Sealock, who hit a career-high 23 in a game that featured many ups and downs for both sides. Sealock’s 23rd kill capped off a five-set thriller as the Coyotes avenged a pair of regular-season losses to in-state rivals, falling for only the second time all season.

SDSU trailed 15-13 in the opening set but fell behind by four points as Freshman of the Year Madison Burr piled on back-to-back kills. This will be the fifth and final leader change of the inaugural.

Neither team was ahead by more than two in the opening set until Sydni Schetnan scored the team’s sixth block to put the Jacks ahead 21-18. From there the Jackrabbits cruised to a five-point set victory. Schetnan had a solo block and four block assists to help the Coyotes cap their .102 hitting percentage.

Lauren Medeck had four kills and 10 digs in the first set to pace the Coyotes on both sides of the ball.

The second set saw back-and-forth action before USD posted a 5-0 run to take an 11-7 lead, the Coyotes’ biggest lead over the opening two stanzas.

However, the Jackrabbits did not allow the USD to pull back and they returned to a 16-15 point. From there it was all Cheyenne Hlady and Amanda Loschen for the Coyotes. The two combined for six kills in a 9-3 set-closing series.

Hlady had 10 kills on 14 hits in the opening two sets to pace USD’s offense. He finished with a season-high 18 points.

The third set was a tight one until the midway point, when South Dakota scored six consecutive points to take a 17-10 advantage. Sealock had three kills during his push to give the Coyotes control. Things got a little shaky towards the end of the set, but after the Jacks got within two at 21-19, USD got the last four points in a block; Two service aces from Medeck and a set-closing score from Hlady.

Sealock finished the set with seven kills, matching her total from the first two.

SDSU regrouped to open the fourth set and took a 12-3 lead as Joslyn Richardson kicked things off with back-to-back kills. Richardson had just two scores in the first three sets but had four in the crucial fourth set and the Jacks forced a decisive fifth set.

Trailing 3-1 early in the fifth set, the Coyotes used a 6-0 run to halt the momentum. After the Jackrabbits scored back-to-back points to make it 14-10, Sealock closed out the trophy hunt as four Coyotes finished with double-digit kills.

Who came forward?
Sealock recorded 21 kills twice during her four-year career with the Coyotes, but was able to surpass that total to keep her senior season alive. He finished the game with 23 points and hit .286.

Medeck completed her 13th double-double of the season with 13 points and 19 possessions, while Avery Van Hook and Defensive Player of the Year Kamryn Farris also recorded double-doubles for the Coyotes. Van Hook had 54 assists and 13 digs, while Farris had 13 assists and 30 digs.

Hlady also hit a season-high 18 strikeouts and hit a team-high .350.

Player of the Year Sylvie Zgonc led the Jackrabbits with 19 kills, while Rylee Martin notched a double-double for the Jacks with 22 assists and 14 digs. Schetnan finished the match with nine kills and nine blocks.

Turning point
A 6-0 run early in the fifth set put the Coyotes out to an insurmountable lead, and they defeated the top-seeded Jackrabbits in the decisive stanza for a 15-10 victory.

Important

South Dakota has won the postseason tournament in five of the last seven seasons, including three in 2020-22.
After recording 7.0 blocks in its 25-20 first set victory, SDSU failed to record a single block in its 25-18 set two loss.
This was the second meeting between South Dakota and South Dakota State in the Summit League Volleyball Championship. The previous meeting was in the 2021 semifinals, when the second-seeded Coyotes beat the sixth-seeded Jackrabbits in five sets.
South Dakota State won both regular season matchups with the Coyotes; including a victory on the final day that clinched the program’s second regular season championship.
This will be the first non-basketball meeting between SDSU and South Dakota in the Summit League Women’s Tournament final. The Jackrabbits and Coyotes have met seven times on the hardwood, with SDSU winning five of them.
The Coyotes, who entered the postseason with three straight losses, became the first quarterfinalists in league history to win three straight games since the field expanded to six in 2013.
This is the second time USD has won the tournament, placing 3rd. The only other team from this line to lift the trophy was Purdue-Fort Wayne in 2009.

All Tournament Team
Ali Hinze, North Dakota State
Sydney Henry, Kansas City
Molly Mirabelli, Denver
McKenna Ruch, Omaha
Alyssa Groves, South Dakota State
Syndi Schetnan, South Dakota State
Kylen Sealock South Dakota (MVP)
Kamryn Farris, South Dakota
Avery Van Hook, South Dakota

Next
The winner earns the Summit League’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will air on Sunday at 5pm CT on ESPN.

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