SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The field is set for the 2021 Summit League Volleyball Championship. Omaha, South Dakota, Denver, Kansas City, Oral Roberts and South Dakota State will begin the journey for the championship trophy Thursday at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion. The first serve of the championship goes up at 4:30 p.m. CT.
 
This Week In The Summit League | All Match Times Central
Quarterfinals | Thursday, November 25
Q1: (4) Kansas City vs. (5) Oral Roberts | 4:30 p.m.
Q2: (3) Denver vs. (6) South Dakota State | 7 p.m.
 
Semifinals | Friday, November 26
S1: (1) Omaha vs. Q1 Winner | 4:30 p.m.
S2: (2) South Dakota vs. Q2 Winner | 7 p.m.
 
Championship | Saturday, November 27
C: S1 Winner vs. S2 Winner | 2 p.m.

Semifinals and championship matches will be televised live on MidcoSN and streamed on Midco Sports Plus. Thursday's quarterfinal matches will be available on thesummitleague.org/watch.

Tickets
All-session and single-session tickets are available for purchase here.
 
Follow Along
Summit League fans are encouraged to download The Summit League app that will keep them updated on scores and statistics. Download the championship app here.
 
80's Promotions
The Summit League turns 40 during the 2021-22 academic year and in honor of the ruby anniversary, the league has a handful of promotions going on during the championship with opportunities for fans to win 80's themed prize packs. More information can be found here.
 
Around The League
A Look At The Seeds

• The six seeds for the 2021 Summit League Volleyball Championships locked into place on the final day of the regular season.
• Omaha claimed its first-ever regular-season crown and the No. 1 seed after completing a series sweep over Oral Roberts.
• As the top seed, Omaha earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of the No. 4 - No. 5 quarterfinal match between fourth-seeded Kansas City and fifth-seeded Oral Roberts.
• Kansas City is making its second-straight appearance since rejoining the league, while Oral Roberts is making its first appearance in the championship since 2019 and 17th overall while The Golden Eagles' seven tournament titles are the most in league history.
• Reigning tournament champion South Dakota joins Omaha with a first-round bye after clinching the No. 2 seed. The Coyotes will make their ninth-consecutive appearance in the championship.
• The last time South Dakota was the No. 2 seed was back in 2018 when the Coyotes defeated No. 1 Denver to earn an automatic berth to their first NCAA Division I Tournament.
• The Coyotes will play the winner of the second quarterfinal match between No. 3 Denver and No. 6 South Dakota State. The Pioneers are making their ninth-consecutive appearance in the championship while the Jackrabbits are back for the first time since 2010. The Pioneers have won five of the last seven tournament titles.

 
Noting The Competition

• Omaha sits atop the league in five statistical categories: kills (14.61), digs (17.77), opponent hitting percentage (.132), opponent assists (9.71) and opponent kills (10.39).
• The Mavericks rank second-best in the league in hitting percentage (.272), assists (13.03), blocks (2.32), opponent blocks (1.81), opponent service aces (0.95) and third-best in service aces (1.60).
• 2020 All-League Honorable Mention honoree Sami Clarkson leads the league in assists per set with 11.66. Teammate McKenna Ruch owns the second-best hitting percentage in the league (.425) while Jaiden Centeno ranks second in digs per set with 5.08.
• South Dakota leads the league in hitting percent (.290) and opponent blocks (1.44) while ranking second in service aces (1.66) and opponent digs (13.93).
• Madison Harms, a 2020 All-League First Team member sits atop the league in hitting percentage with an average clip of .440.
• The 2020 Summit League tournament MVP, Elizabeth Juhnke ranks second in the league in kills per set (4.08) and points (4.63).
• Denver leads the league in team service aces (1.98) while Lydia Bartalo owns the most total service aces in the league with 38 (0.58 per set). Bartalo has remained among the nation's top five in overall aces per set this season. She currently sits fifth in the NCAA with 0.60 aces per set overall.
• The Pioneers also sit atop the league in opponent service aces (0.88) and opponent digs (12.50) while ranking second in kills (14.17), opponent hitting percentage (.179), opponent assists (9.82) and opponent kills (10.77).
• Kansas City ranks first in assists (13.11) with 2020 Setter of the Year Alli Schomers pacing the Roos' offense with 11.53 assists per set. She currently ranks fourth in the NCAA for total assists this season with 1,235.
• The 2020 Player of the Year, Melanie Brecka dominates the offense for KC and leads the league in kills per set (4.13) and points (4.79).
• Oral Roberts is the best in the league defensively when it comes to protection at the net. The Golden Eagles have accumulated 160 total blocks (2.50) in league play to sit atop the league.
• Sakira LaCour leads the defensive effort for ORU as she sits atop the league with 88 total blocks and averages 1.38 blocks per set. LaCour's 1.33 blocks per set overall average on the season ranks 17th in the nation.
• South Dakota State's offense is led by 2020 All-League Honorable Mention honoree Crystal Burk. She ranks fourth in the league standings in kills per set (3.75) and in points (4.14).
• Chloe Stitt ranks second among the league in service aces averaging 0.42 aces per set in league play while Tatum Pickar is ranked sixth in the league in digs with 4.07 digs per set.