SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The first week of league play saw a number of outstanding performances and if that is any indication of how the rest of the season will go, buckle up.
 
After the first week of league action, Denver, Oral Roberts, South Dakota and Omaha each go into week two with undefeated league records.
 
This week’s action starts Thursday at 4 p.m. CT with South Dakota hitting the road to take on Oral Roberts. Western Illinois will match up with North Dakota State 6 p.m. CT while South Dakota State will meet Kansas City and North Dakota will visit St. Thomas at 7 p.m. CT.
 
Around The Summit League | All Match Times Central
Thursday, September 30
South Dakota at Oral Roberts | 4 p.m.
North Dakota State at Western Illinois | 6 p.m.
South Dakota State at Kansas City | 7 p.m.
North Dakota at St. Thomas | 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, October 2
North Dakota at Western Illinois | 11 a.m.
South Dakota at Kansas City | 1 p.m.
South Dakota State at Oral Roberts | 1 p.m.
Denver at Omaha | 1 p.m.
North Dakota State at St. Thomas | 3 p.m.
 
Tuesday, October 5
Western Illionis at St. Thomas | 7 p.m.
Oral Roberts at Omaha | 7 p.m.

Around The League

• Denver is 3-0 after the opening weekend of league play following three-set sweeps over Western Illinois, St. Thomas and Kansas City.
• Hailey Green paced the Pioneers against the Leathernecks posting an efficient .688 hitting percentage with a career-high 11 kills. She followed that up with six kills and a .545 clip against St. Thomas. Against Kansas City, she tied her career-high of 11 kills on a .364 hitting percentage.
• Gianna Bartalo continued to lead the defensive effort for the Pios combining for 30 digs in three matches. Bartalo dug up 12 attacks against Western Illinois, eight verse St. Thomas and topped off the week with 10 against Kansas City.
• Oral Roberts started the regular-season slate with a 2-0 record defeating North Dakota and North Dakota State in straight sets on the road.
• Bryanne Soars paced the offense for the Golden Eagles averaging 11.7 assists per set totaling 70 assists for the road matches. She posted 38 against the Fighting Hawks and had 32 versus the Bison. Soars added 14 digs at UND to complete her third-straight double-double and had nine digs at NDSU. She also added four kills and three block assists.
• Defensively, Sakira LaCour was a force at the net totaling eight blocks to average 1.33 per set. She had two solo blocks and five assists against NDSU and registered 15 kills and a .333 clip in the two matches.
• South Dakota captured victories over in-state rival South Dakota State (3-1) and North Dakota State (3-0). Elizabeth Juhnke recorded a 20-kill, 20-dig performance to go along with a .395 hitting percentage, an assist, a service ace and two blocks against SDSU.  Juhnke went on to tally 13 kills and 11 digs against NDSU en route to her 1,000th career kill.
• Lolo Weideman paced the defensive pack turning in 37 digs in two matches. Weideman recorded her fourth match of the season with 20 or more digs against SDSU as she notched 21 in the four-set victory. Against NDSU she finished with 16 digs and three assists.
• Omaha defeated St. Thomas and Western Illinois at home in three sets to start league play. Marriah Buss led the effort posting back-to-back double-digit kill performances. She tallied 10 against St. Thomas and 11 verse Western Illinois. In the two matches, she averaged a .463 hitting percentage.
• Rylee Marshall led the Mavericks with 11 blocks on the weekend for an average of nearly two per set. She had five against the Tommies and six verse the Leathernecks. She also contributed 14 kills in the two matches.
• Kansas City went 2-1 after defeating North Dakota State (3-1) and North Dakota (3-1) on the road and falling to Denver (3-0) at home.
• Melanie Brecka posted her seventh and eighth double-doubles of the year in the wins over NDSU and UND. She led the team’s attacking efforts averaging 4.11 kills per set, totaling 46 kills and hitting .357 in three matches. She swung a season-high .484 hitting percentage against North Dakota State and dug up a career-best 26 attacks against North Dakota.
• Carly Gillen defended the net for the Roos posting 10 total blocks in the weekend sweep over NDSU and UND. She tied a career-high with six total blocks against the Bison.
• South Dakota State split the opening weekend of league play falling to South Dakota 3-1 but bouncing back and defeating North Dakota 3-1.
• Crystal Burk and Chloe Stitt continue to lead the Jacks offensively. Against USD Burk totaled 20 kills and eight digs while Stitt produced a 20 kill,  .357 clip and 16 dig performance against UND.
• Against North Dakota, Tatum Pickar tallied two season highs with 20 digs and seven assists while Carly Wedel paced the offensive effort finishing with 52 assists.
• North Dakota, North Dakota State, St. Thomas and Western Illinois all went winless in the first weekend of league play.
• North Dakota fell to Oral Roberts (3-0), Kansas City (3-1) and South Dakota State (3-1).
• North Dakota State lost to Kansas City (3-1), Oral Roberts (3-0) and South Dakota (3-0).
• St. Thomas and Western Illinois both lost in three to both Omaha and Denver.