OMAHA, Neb. – Top-seeded South Dakota (29-3, 16-2 SL) swept second-seeded Omaha (20-10, 14-4 SL) to claim its third straight Summit League Volleyball Tournament title at Baxter Arena. The sweep was the second straight against Omaha as USD swept them last season in Vermillion.

The Coyotes were led by Championship MVP Elizabeth Juhnke, who had 11 kills and 15 digs for her 23^rd double-double of the season to pace a South Dakota offense that hit .240 in the three-match victory.

The Coyotes took command early in the opening set, leading by five on multiple occasions but the Coyotes were able to close it on an 5-0 run to take it 25-20. USD took advantage of two attack errors and a service error by Omaha down the stretch to complete the first set triumph.
 
South Dakota went up by nine, 18-9, in the second set and never looked back. The Coyotes went on another run where they scored five straight points and ended the hitting .300 compared to Omaha's .057 hitting percentage.
 
Omaha started off strong in the third frame where they posted an 11-6 lead and looked as though they would head to set four, but the top-seed Coyotes prevailed. Down 20-17, South Dakota tied the match 22-22 thanks to a thanks to a service ace by Alaina Wolff and a solid block from Juhnke. With the match tied 28-28, back-to-back kills by Sealock and Juhnke sealed the deal for USD. The Coyotes will now represent The Summit League in the NCAA Tournament.

Who Stood Out

• USD's Elizabeth Juhnke racked up 11 kills and now has 660 kills this season to extend her single season league record
• The Coyotes' offense hit .240 for the match compared to Omaha's .168 hitting percentage.
• Juhnke also led the Coyote defense with 15 digs while Jaiden Centeno of Omaha led the team with 14 digs.
• Lolo Weideman, The Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, posted nine digs while Omaha's Shayla McCormick, an All-League first teamer, guided posted 12 kills

 Turning Point

• South Dakota's defense was the difference maker, as the Coyotes limited Omaha to a .057 hitting percentage in the second set to take a comanding 2-0 lead.

All-Tournament Team
Elizabeth Juhnke, South Dakota (MVP)
Madi Woodin, South Dakota
Kylen Sealock, South Dakota
Shayla McCormick, Omaha
McKenna Ruch, Omaha
Memphis Glasgow, Denver
Ali Hinze, North Dakota State
Crystal Burk, South Dakota State
Marissa Stockman, North Dakota

Scholar of the Championship
Kelley Johnson, North Dakota State - Interview

Notable

• South Dakota won its third straight tournament title and fourth crown in the last five seasons.
• Juhnke posted her 23^rd double-double of the season
• South Dakota swept their regular season matchups with the host team. The Coyotes won in five sets in Vermillion on Sept. 22 and the Coyotes returned the favor with a 3-1 victory a month later Oct. 22.
• This marks the first time since 2017 the top overall seed won the title with Denver being the last team to do so.
• No. 1 seeds have won 22 of 31 Summit League Tournament titles
• Today's attendance of 1,102 fans was the second highest attendance for a championship match in League history

Up Next
South Dakota advanced to its fourth NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. The bracket for the championship will be announced Sunday, November 27 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
 
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