SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Defending regular season champion South Dakota was picked to repeat as Summit League Volleyball champions, garnering 63 points and seven first-place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll released Wednesday by league officials.
 
The Coyotes have won at least a share of the regular season crown twice since joining the league and edged the 2019 Summit League Tournament champions Denver by six points to take the top spot. The Pioneers, who return 2019 Summit League Player of the Year Lydia Bartalo, were picked second with 57 total points and the remaining two first-place votes.
 
Only seven points behind the Pioneers was Omaha with 50 points as the Mavericks picked up the third-place spot in the poll for the third straight season. League newcomer Kansas City was picked to finish fourth with 41 points while North Dakota State tallied 37 points and was picked fifth. North Dakota (25) edged Oral Roberts (23) for sixth place while South Dakota State (20) and Western Illinois (8) rounded out the rankings. The 2020 volleyball season was postponed to the spring of 2021 due to the pandemic.
 
2020 Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Rank	School	Points (1st)
1.	South Dakota	63 (7)
2.	Denver	57 (2)
3.	Omaha	50
4.	Kansas City	41
5.	North Dakota State	37
6.	North Dakota	25
7.	Oral Roberts	23
8.	South Dakota State	20
9.	Western Illinois	8

 
#SummitVB Preseason Notes

• The league will see three of the four individual award recipients from the 2019 season return to action. South Dakota boasts two of those award winners as Setter of the Year Madison Jurgens returns along with Freshman of the Year Elizabeth Juhnke. The Coyote duo joins Denver's Lydia Bartalo, who was the 2019 Player of the Year.
• Jurgens finished her sophomore season with a league-leading 11.72 assists per set and 1,442 total assists. Juhnke finished her freshman campaign leading the league in kills (520) and kills per set (4.23).
• Bartalo led the league in service aces per set (0.41) during her junior season while leading the Pioneers in kills (374) and kills per set (3.20).
• Defending Summit League tournament champion Denver returns 12 players from the 2019-20 roster.
• The 2019 NIVC runner-up and defending Summit League regular season champion South Dakota returns 10 from last season’s roster but will have to look to replace 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Anne Rasmussen.
• Omaha has four All-League honorees returning for the season. The Mavericks bring back seniors Claire Mountjoy and Anna Blaschko, junior Sadie Limback and sophomore Sami Clarkson. Blaschko led the league in hitting percentage (.390), Mountjoy ranked third in the league in digs per set (4.35) and total digs (561) while Limback ranked fourth in the league in kills per set (3.48) and Clarkson averaged 11.52 assists per set which ranked second in the league.
• Kansas City rejoins The Summit League after a seven-year run as a Western Athletic Conference member. Kansas City, who was a league member from 1994-2013, earned the program’s first postseason appearance when the Roos received a bid to the NIVC in 2019. The Roos finished the season 12-4 in WAC play and advanced to the championship semifinals for the fourth time in program history.

#SummitVB Schedule Notes

• The 2020 season officially begins on Jan. 22 with the first serve in Fargo, N.D. where North Dakota State hosts North Dakota in a non-conference matchup at 1 p.m. CT.
• The league’s nine members will play a double-round robin format with each team receiving one bye during the spring season. Teams will play the same opponent twice at one site.
• League play begins Sunday, Jan. 31, with Western Illinois at South Dakota State and North Dakota at Oral Roberts with the first serve at 1 p.m. CT
• The top four regular-season finishers qualify for The Summit League Volleyball Championship slated for April 2-3 inside The Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Players to Watch
Note: Players to Watch nominated by league’s head coaches
Elizabeth Juhnke | South Dakota | Outside Hitter | Sophomore

• 2019 Summit League Freshman of the Year
• 2019 AVCA All-Region Team honoree and All-Region Freshman of the Year
• Led the league in kills (520), and kills per set (4.23)

Madison Jurgens | South Dakota | Setter | Junior

• 2019 Summit League Setter of the Year
• 2019 AVCA All-Region member
• Led the league and ranked sixth nationally in assists per set (11.72)
• Ranked third in the league in services aces per set (0.37)

Tina Boe | Denver | Middle Blocker | Senior

• Named to the 2019 All-League First Team and All-Tournament Team
• Ranked second in the league in attack percentage (.352)
• Ranked second on the team in blocks (104), third in kills (208) and fourth in service aces (27)

Lydia Bartalo | Denver | Outside Hitter | Senior

• 2019 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and Midwest All-Region Team
• 2019 Summit League Player of the Year and League Tournament MVP
• Led the Pioneers in kills (374), kills per set (3.20) and service aces (48)

Anna Blaschko | Omaha | Middle Blocker | Senior

• Named to the AVCA Midwest Region First Team and the All-League First Team
• Led the league in hitting percentage (.390) and averaged 2.79 kills and 0.77 blocks per set last season

Claire Mountjoy | Omaha | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Senior

• 2019 All-League honorable mention
• Ranked third in the league with 4.35 digs per set and 561 total digs

De’ Janae Arnold | Kansas City | Middle Hitter | Junior

• Transferred to Kansas City from Navarro College
• AVCA First-Team All-America selection as a sophomore
• Ranked No. 2 in the junior college ranks with a .473 hitting percentage
• Ranked sixth nationally in blocks per set (1.50), 12^th in total blocks (152), and 14^th in block assists (109)

Alli Schomers | Kansas City | Setter | Senior

• 2019 WAC Setter of the Year and Second Team All-WAC honoree
• Led the conference in total assists (1,145) and assists per set (10.32)
• Tied ninth in the WAC in service aces (33) and 12^th in service aces per set (0.30)

Alexis Bachmeier | North Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Senior

• Led the team with 17 matches with double-figure kills
• Second on the team last year with 12 double-doubles
• Averaged 2.77 digs and 2.73 kills per set last season

Kirstin Tidd | North Dakota State | Middle Hitter | Junior

• Played in 16 matches and 33 sets last season
• Had a .151 hitting percentage last year to go along with 27 kills, seven blocks and two digs

Darian Chwialkowski | North Dakota | Outside Hitter | Junior

• Led the team in digs per set (3.78) and second in services aces (23)
• Finished seventh in the league in total digs (397)

Lexi Ahrens | North Dakota | Middle Hitter | Junior

• Finished second on the team in blocks per set (0.74), kills per set (2.11) and hitting percentage (.235)
• Hit above .400 with 10 or more kills four times last season

Sakira LaCour | Oral Roberts | Middle Blocker | Sophomore

• Appeared in 21 matches as a true freshman earning a starting spot seven times
• Averaged 1.27 kills per set totaling 71 for a .224 average clip

Sarah Thiessen | Oral Roberts | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Junior

• Led the team and ranked fourth in the league in digs (445) and digs per set (4.20)
• Reached double-digit digs 22 times last season, including 20 or more in nine outings

Crystal Burk | South Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Junior

• Ranked second on the team in kills (279), kills per set (2.61), digs (297) and digs per set (2.78)
• Was third on the team in service aces (20), fourth in assists (27) and fifth in blocks (30)

Tatum Pickar | South Dakota State | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Junior

• Led the team in digs (420) and digs per set (3.93)
• Ranked fifth in the league in digs per set and sixth in digs

Mariah Mitchell | Western Illinois | Right Side | Junior

• Led the team in both points scored (313.5) and kills (269)
• Ranked second on the team in total blocks (81)

Gabby DePersio | Western Illinois | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Sophomore

• Started as libero for the Leathernecks her freshman year
• Played in all 29 games and record 361 digs and 87 assists