SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Defending tournament champion South Dakota was selected to take home the Summit League Volleyball regular season title, garnering 78 points and six 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 title twice since joining the league and edged 2020 Summit League regular season champions Denver by two points to take the top spot. The Pioneers were picked second with 76 total points, while earning the remaining four first-place votes.
 
Omaha totalled 62 points and was picked to finish third in the regular season for the fourth straight season. Kansas City took the fourth-place spot with 60 points while North Dakota State tallied 49 points and was picked fifth. Oral Roberts (36) edged South Dakota State (35) for sixth while North Dakota (23), league newcomer St. Thomas (18) and Western Illinois (13) rounded out the rankings.

2021 Summit League Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank	School	Points (1st)	2020 Record (SL)
1.	South Dakota	78 (6)	16-7 (13-3)
2.	Denver	76 (4)	14-3 (13-2)
3.	Omaha	62	13-6 (12-4)
4.	Kansas City	60	13-4 (13-3)
5.	North Dakota State	49	10-8 (8-8)
6.	Oral Roberts	36	3-15 (3-13)
7.	South Dakota State	35	6-11 (6-10)
8.	North Dakota	23	2-16 (2-14)
9.	St. Thomas	18	3-2 (0-0)
10.	Western Illinois	13	2-15 (2-14)

 
#SummitVB Preseason Notes

• The league will see all four individual award recipients from the 2020 season return to action. Kansas City boasts two of those award winners as Player of the Year Melanie Brecka returns along with Setter of the Year Alli Schomers. The Roo duo joins Omaha’s Claire Mountjoy who was named the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year and 2020 Freshman of the Year Ali Hinze from North Dakota State.
• Brecka finished her junior season leading the league in kills per set (4.17) and second in points (325), points per set (4.71), and total attacks (724). She led the Roos in kills last season and posted nine double-doubles on the year.
• Schomers enters her fifth year having averaged 10.26 assists per set during the 2020 season, which was the third-best average in the league. She surpassed the 50-assist mark four times last season and posted eight double-doubles on the year.
• Mountjoy ranked second in the league in total digs (358) during her 2020 campaign and third in digs per set (4.97). Hinze was the top freshman in the league last season with 3.82 kills per set. She led the Bison with 237 kills and ranked second on the team in digs (195), blocks (27) and service aces (17).
• Defending regular season champion Denver returns 12 from last season’s roster including All-League First Team members Lydia Bartalo, Tina Boe, Ellie Anderson and Brianna Green.
• South Dakota, the 2020 Summit League tournament champion, will see 14 returners from last year’s championship team including All-League First Teamers Elizabeth Juhnke, Madison Harms and Sami Slaughter along with All-League honorable mention member Madison Jurgens.
• Omaha has two All-League honorees in addition to Claire Mountjoy returning for the 2021 season. The Mavericks bring back senior Sadie Limback and junior Sami Clarkson. Limback finished the season as the league leader with a .404 hitting percentage and third in kills per set (4.08). Clarkson finished the season as the league leader in assists per set with 10.61.
• In addition to Brecka and Schomers, the Roos return All-League honorable mention honoree Maddie Renn. Renn averaged 4.40 digs per set last season which ranked first on the team and sixth in the league.
• St. Thomas joins The Summit League after its departure from Division III’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and is led by head coach Thanh Pham. Under his guidance, his Tommie teams have had only one losing season in his 18-year career while averaging 26.6 wins a season. The Tommies have claimed one NCAA title, three regional titles and 11 regular season conference championships under Pham’s leadership during their Division III era.

#SummitVB Schedule Notes

• The 2021 season officially begins on Aug. 27 with the first serves going up at 10 a.m. as Kansas City takes on Creighton, Oral Roberts matches up against Louisana Monroe and Western Illinois is at Northern Illinois.
• League play begins Thursday, Sept. 23, with eight of the 10 league members taking the court.
• League newcomer St. Thomas will play its initial Division I regular season match against Ball State at the Green Bay Invite in Green Bay, Wis., on Aug. 27. The Tommies’ first league match is slated at Omaha on Sept. 23.
• The top six regular-season finishers qualify for The Summit League Volleyball Championship slated for Nov. 25-27 inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D.

Players to Watch
Note: Players to Watch nominated by the league's head coaches
Elizabeth Juhnke | South Dakota | Outside Hitter | Junior

• 2020 All-League First Team and Summit League championship tournament MVP
• 2020 AVCA All-Region and AVCA All-American Honorable Mention
• Led the league in kills (346) and kills per set (4.17)

Sami Slaughter | South Dakota | Outside Hitter | Fifth Year

• 2020 All-League First Team and Summit League All-Tournament Team member
• Ranked second on the team and fifth in the league with 229 kills
• Started all 22 matches and 87 sets during the 2020 season

Ellie Anderson | Denver | Setter | Graduate Student

• Selected to the 2020 All-League First Team
• Named to the 2020 Summit League Summit League All-Tournament Team
• Ranked first in assists on the team and sixth in the league (379)

Brianna Green | Denver | Middle Blocker | Junior

• Named to the 2020 All-League First Team
• Ranked first on the team and second in the league in hitting percentage (.358)
• Finished second on the team for blocks and third in the league (10)

Sadie Limback | Omaha | Right Side | Senior

• 2020 All-League First Team honoree
• Became the second Maverick in the Division I era to be named to the AVCA All-Region Team
• League leader with a .404 hitting percentage and third in kills per set (4.08)
• Her .404 hitting percentage is the highest by a Maverick in the Division I era and ranks second all-time in program history

Sami Clarkson | Omaha | Setter | Junior

• 2020 All-League honorable mention
• Record nine double-doubles on the 2020 season
• Finished the regular season as the league leader with 10.57 assists per set

Melanie Brecka | Kansas City | Right Side | Senior

• 2020 AVCA All-Region and AVCA All-American Honorable Mention
• 2020 Summit League Player of the Year and All-League First Team honoree
• Led the league in kills per set with 4.17
• Posted nine double-doubles on the 2020 season

Alli Schomers | Kansas City | Setter | Graduate Student

• 2020 Summit League Setter of the Year and All-League First Team honoree
• Finished first on the team in assists per set (10.26) and third-best in the league
• Posted eight double-doubles on the season

Ali Hinze | North Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Sophomore

• Named the 2020 Summit League Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-League First Team
• Top freshman in the league with 3.82 kills per set
• Led the Bison with 237 kills and ranked second on the team in digs (195), blocks (27) and service aces (17)

Syra Tanchin | North Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Junior

• Ranked second on NDSU with 161 total kills and 2.88 kills per set
• Played in 17 of 18 matches on the 2020 season
• Hit .211 during last season

Aixa Vigil | Oral Roberts | Outside Hitter | Senior

• Led the team with 10 double-doubles on the 2020 season
• Finished with a team-best 208 kills and 3.20 kills per set
• Tallied 12 outings with double-figure kills and a .189 hitting percentage

Sarah Thiessen | Oral Roberts | Defensive Specialist/Libero | Redshirt Senior

• Led the team with 346 digs and 4.81 digs per set, both of which ranked fourth in the league
• Registered double-digit digs in all 18 outings last season
• Notched the ninth most digs per set (4.81) in a single season in ORU history during the 2020 season

Crystal Burk | South Dakota State | Outside Hitter | Senior

• Led the team in kills (213) and kills per set (3.74)
• Ranked second for SDSU in digs (188) and digs per set (3.30)
• Registered 10 double-doubles and reached 10-plus kills on 14 occasions during the 2020 season

Tatum Pickar | South Dakota State | Defensive Specialist | Senior

• Paced the team and ranked second in the league with 5.32 digs per set
• Led SDSU with 23 service aces, ranking third in the league with 0.40 aces per set
• Recorded 10-plus kills in 16 matches during the 2020 season

Darian Chwialkowski | North Dakota | Libero | Senior

• Led the league in digs per set with 5.35
• Became just the second UND player to average over 5.0 digs per set
• Paced the team in service aces (17)

Lexi Ahrens | North Dakota | Middle Hitter | Senior

• Fighting Hawks' leader in points (191.0), points per set (2.94), kills per set (2.46) and hitting percentage (.246)
• Played in all 18 matches, starting a team-high 17 matches in the middle and the outside
• Recorded double-digit kills five times last season

Fran Egan | St. Thomas | Senior

• During the 2019 season, tallied 337 kills and 2.72 kills per set
• Helped the Tommies secure a regular season and conference championship title
• During the shortened 2020 season, played five matches and earned 39 kills and 14 digs

Grace Anetipa| St. Thomas | Senior

• During the 2019 season, finished with 1,383 assists and 370 digs
• Named to the 2019 All-MIAC team and earned AVCA All-American Honorable Mention honors
• Was ranked eighth nationally in assists per set after the 2019 season

Peyton Bowman | Western Illinois | Middle | Senior

• Started 15 of 17 matches
• Led the team in hitting percentage (.302) and ranked fourth in the league
• Ranked first for WIU in both solo blocks (12) and assisted bocks (40)

Aubrey Putman| Western Illinois | Outside Hitter | Junior

• Finished second in kills (134) and points scored (150.0) during the 2020 season
• Ended the season third in team digs (147)
• Tied a career-high in kills (14) and achieved a new career-high digs (24) against Oral Roberts