VERMILLION, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -In front of over 2,000 fans at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center, the South Dakota volleyball team downed its second Power 4 opponent on the season, 3-1, over Iowa State.
The South Dakota attack was powered by its trio of freshmen with 16 kills from Lauren Medeck, 10 from Audrey Nelson and eight from Morgan Bode. Nelson was efficient with a .500 swing rate, while Medeck hit at a .310 clip and Bode hit .278. Bode led the Yotes with five assisted blocks, as USD out blocked ISU 7-5.
Avery Van Hook dished out 41 assists, dug up five balls and recorded four kills of her own. Kamryn Farris had a team-high 12 digs and was followed by Alaina Wolff’s 10. The Yotes tallied four aces with Farris leading the squad with two.
Medeck and Nelson set the tone early, tallying eight kills in the first set. Nelson put away three kills on four swings in the opening frame. In an action packed first set, neither team held a lead of greater than two points. The first timeout of the set was called by the Cyclones following two straight USD points to tie it at 22-22. Out of the timeout, Caity Clancy gave the Yotes a point lead with a service ace, forcing ISU to call its second timeout. Iowa State answered with a kill from Maya Duckworth, but after a block from Van Hook and Bode, the Coyotes took the first set on an ISU attack error.
The Yotes carried their momentum into the next set, after Cheyenne Hlady opened with a kill, USD scored the first four points. South Dakota grabbed a five-point lead, 13-8, following a block from Bode and Medeck. South Dakota held the lead throughout the set, behind a red-hot attack as they put away 15 kills on 31 swings for a .387 hitting percentage. After USD reached set point, the Cyclones fought back by scoring three straight, but USD would go up to two sets to zero following an ISU service error. Medeck put away six balls on eight swings to lead the Yotes, while Van Hook, Nelson, Bode and Hlady all tallied a pair of kills.
The Cyclones would rally back to take the third set behind their best hitting frame at .400, while holding USD to a .167 clip, its lowest of the evening. South Dakota’s attempt to rally back down 22-16 was held off by the Cyclones as they took the set 25-19.
South Dakota scored five straight to take a 5-1 advantage in the beginning of the fourth set. Amanda Loschen got the start in the set, and made her presence felt immediately as she closed out the run with a solo block and a kill. ISU briefly took the lead with a five-point swing of its own, but the Yotes responded with four straight points to take a 9-6 advantage. The Coyotes carried a 22-20 lead following a 5-1 ISU run, but senior Kylen Sealock ended the run and put USD another point closer to the win with a kill. Following a bad set by the Cyclones, Medeck secured the 3-1 win as she slammed down an overpass by the Cyclones.
South Dakota will look to sweep the weekend slate tomorrow when they face UTEP at 12:30 p.m. in the SCSC.
Notes
- South Dakota earns its first win over Iowa State in program history
- The Coyotes are now 16-1 all-time in the South Dakota Classic
- USD now has wins over two Power 4 opponents this season (3-1 win over RV Missouri on 8/10/24)
- USD is now 2-1 on the season in four set matches
- South Dakota is now 5-0 on the season when they win the second set, and 3-0 when winning the first two sets
- USD registered a .268 hitting percentage, compared to ISU .287 clip but committed less errors 15-21
- USD out blocked ISU 7-5 in the match
- USD recorded four service aces, led by Kamryn Farris’ two
- Lauren Medeck recorded her fourth straight double-digit kill match
- Farris led the Yotes in digs for the seventh straight match with 12
- Audrey Nelson reached double-figure kills for the first time in a Coyote uniform with 10
Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
