OMAHA, Neb. – Top-seeded South Dakota advanced to the title match courtesy of a 3-0 victory over fourth-seeded Denver in the opening semifinal of the 2022 Summit League Volleyball Championship at Baxter Arena. With the win, the Coyotes advanced to its third straight title match and fifth title appearance in program history.
The Coyotes took the opening two sets by the scores of 25-21 and 26-24. Furthermore, they built a six-point cushion in which they led 12-6. After Denver tied the match 16-16, South Dakota finished it off to post a 25-18 victory and claim the sweep.
In the third set, the Coyotes' Summit Player of the Year Elizabeth Juhnke posted nine of her 15 kills to pace the Coyote offense and spark a strong run, including four straight points on three occasions.
Who Stood Out
- Summit League Player of the Year Elizabeth Juhnke finished with a match-high 15 kills on 37 total attempts for a .270 hitting percentage and added nine digs.
- Madi Woodin registered a match-high 34 assists, including nine digs.
- Summit League Defensive Player of the Year Lolo Weideman dished out a team-high 13 digs. Her efforts helped USD lead in digs, 47-43.
- Denver's Memphis Glasgow tallied 10 kills good enough for her 16th match this season with double-digit kills.
Turning Point
- Three key lead changes, including three ties in the latter phase of the second set, resulted in a back-and-forth rally. With the second set tied 24-24, the Coyote defense took over. After an attack error by Denver, Brynn Paumen and Aimee Adams combined for a key block to win the second set, 26-24 and put the match out of reach for DU.
Notable
- South Dakota will be making its third straight appearance in The Summit League Championship match and their fifth overall appearance in the title match
- With the victory, South Dakota posted its first 28-win season since they earned 31 victories in 2019
- Juhnke extended record-breaking kill season to 649 as the junior outside hitter is the single-season league leader for kills in a season
Up Next
South Dakota will meet the winner of the No. 2 Omaha-No.3 North Dakota State matchup Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.
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