The Basics
Score: No. 3 South Dakota 3, No. 2 Omaha 2
Records: South Dakota (20-9, 10-6 SL), Omaha(16-13, 14-2 SL)
Location: Swinney Center – Kansas City, Mo.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – No. 3 South Dakota swept No. 2 Omaha to win the second semifinal of the 2024 Summit League Volleyball Championship Monday at the Swinney Center. After winning three straight postseason crowns, the Coyotes missed out on a chance for a four-peat last season but earned the chance to start a new streak against in-state rival and top-seeded South Dakota State in Tuesday's title match. 

After falling to the Mavericks twice during the regular season, the Coyotes extracted revenge with a three-set sweep (25-19, 25-23, 25-21) that rarely saw Omaha control the momentum.

In the first set, freshman Morgan Bode capped a 5-1 run midway through with an ace that broke things open for the Coyotes and pushed their advantage to 19-14. Prior to that, the teams exchanged the lead three different times but no team led by more than three.

Bode closed out the stanza with a kill as the Coyotes only mustered eight during the opening set but took advantage of seven attack errors by the Mavericks.  

The Coyotes opened the second set filled with runs by both teams on a 4-0 spurt thanks to a kill and block by Kylen Sealock and a pair of aces by Kamryn Farris. USD would push the lead to 8-1 before Omaha reeled off a 7-2 stretch to make it a 10-8 contest.

USD would lead by five again at 17-12 but the Mavericks would stage another rally, pulling within one on a couple of occasions late in the set to make things interesting.

The Coyotes had an answer, however, gaining a 24-20 advantage but once again the Mavericks did not go down quietly. Three straight UNO points cut the deficit to 24-23 but USD would gain the set-clinching point after going to replay review to earn a reversal on a net violation. 

After Omaha opened the third set with three straight points, the Coyotes quickly mounted a 7-1 run to take control and force a Maverick timeout. Two quick points by the Mavericks out of the timeout made it a 7-6 contest but USD answered with the next four points as the upset-minded Coyotes pushed their lead to 11-6.

Omaha took its turn churning out a 6-2 run to come within a point but a service error by Ivy Leuck halted the momentum and the Coyotes scored the next four and never let the Mavericks get any closer as Sealock's back-to-back kills pushed their advantage to 17-12.

Amanda Loschen scored the Coyotes' final two points on kills as they advanced to their fifth title game in the last seven seasons.

Who Stood Out
Sealock led all players with 11 kills and had four in the third set. She helped the Coyotes hit .284, while also limiting the Mavericks to a .173 clip.

Freshman Lauren Medeck led all players with 12 digs, registering her 17th double-digit dig effort of the campaign.

McKenna Ruch led the Mavericks with 10 kills.

Turning Point
After building a 2-0 set advantage, the Coyotes held just a 13-12 lead in the third set but used a 4-0 run that was capped by back-to-back kills by Sealock to cease control and eventually finish off the sweep of the Mavericks.
 
Notable

• South Dakota is back in the title match after winning postseason trophies in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
• South Dakota and South Dakota State have met only once before in the Summit League Volleyball Championship with the second-seeded Coyotes beating the sixth-seeded Jackrabbits 3-2 in the 2021 semifinals.
• Sealock finished with 11 kills, which marked her 14th straight double-digit kill efforts and 23rd on the season. 
• Omaha won both regular season matches in four sets.
• The Mavericks had 17 service errors, while the Coyotes only committed seven.
• The Coyotes mustered 42 digs and nine blocks on the defensive end, while Omaha had just 25 digs and six blocks.

Up Next
South Dakota will face top-seeded South Dakota State in Tuesday's championship match at 7 p.m. CT, which will be streamed live on the Summit League Network.