SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – With just five matches remaining in Summit League play, all nine teams are battling for position and a spot in the upcoming conference tournament later this month.
South Dakota State has the chance to clinch at least a share of the Summit League regular season title as early as Thursday night with a win over North Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are a perfect 12-0 in league play and will face second-place St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon.
St. Thomas currently sits second in the standings, having won five of its last six matches. The Tommies host Denver on Thursday before a pivotal showdown with the undefeated Jackrabbits this weekend.
South Dakota head coach Leanne Williamson is on the verge of making history. With two more victories, Williamson would become the winningest coach in Summit League history both for total career wins and league victories. The Coyotes will look to help her reach that milestone at home this weekend as they host Omaha and Kansas City.
North Dakota State, currently in fourth place, faces a crucial stretch with matches against South Dakota State and in-state rival North Dakota, both offering opportunities to climb the league ladder.
Denver’s Izabela Molina made her mark on the Summit League record book last weekend, recording nine kills on ten attempts for a remarkable .900 hitting percentage. That performance ranks second all-time in the league’s single-match hitting percentage records. The Pioneers now hit the road to face St. Thomas on Thursday and Omaha on Saturday.
Omaha, sitting sixth, travels to Vermillion to take on South Dakota before returning home to host Denver. North Dakota, Kansas City, and Oral Roberts round out the standings in seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
With championship implications on the line, this week promises to deliver thrilling volleyball across the Summit League as teams jockey for seeding in the upcoming tournament. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. Thursday, streaming live on the Summit League Network.
This Week In The Summit League (All Times Local To Site)
Thursday, Nov. 6 | TV/Stream
Oral Roberts at Kansas City | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
South Dakota State at North Dakota State | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Denver at St. Thomas | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Omaha at South Dakota | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Nov. 8 | TV/Stream
Kansas City at South Dakota | SLN | 11 a.m. CT
Denver at Omaha | SLN | 12 p.m. CT
South Dakota State at St. Thomas | SLN | 12 p.m. CT
North Dakota State at North Dakota | SLN | 6 p.m. CT
Key: SLN (Summit League Network)
Around The League
• South Dakota State remained unbeaten in conference play following a pair of five-set victories at Omaha and vs. South Dakota. Those two wins improved the Jackrabbits to 12-0.
• The Jackrabbits can clinch at least a share of the regular season title with a win over North Dakota State or St. Thomas this week.
• SDSU had 2,563 fans attend Saturday’s match against South Dakota, marking the second highest attended home event in program history.
• St. Thomas senior Tezra Rudzitis notched a career-high 19 kills and hit .720 against Kansas City, the 11th-best single-match hitting clip with 20-plus attempts in Division I this season.
• With her 16th double-digit kill effort of the season, Rudzitis is now 40 away from topping 1,000 in her Tommie career.
• South Dakota’s Ava Ball had a career night with 17 kills in the Coyotes’ five-set loss to South Dakota State.
• With 247 career victories, South Dakota head coach Leanne Williamson is just two wins shy of becoming the winningest coach in Summit history. Former Oral Roberts head coach Sheera Sirola holds the all-time record with 248 victories.
• Williamson is also two wins away from topping the list for most all-time Summit League wins. She enters this week with 145, which trails former IUPUI head coach Steve Payne (146) and ties Sirola (145).
• NDSU leads the league in opponent blocks per set during conference play with1.58 per set.
• Denver redshirt freshman Izabela Molina set a new Pioneer program record when she recorded a .900 hitting percentage with 9 kills on 10 attempts in a sweep of North Dakota.
• Omaha senior Kali Jurgensmeier is just six kills away from notching 1,000 in her Maverick career. Jurgensmeier was the Summit League Freshman of the Year back in 2022 and earned First Team All Summit League honors a season ago.
• North Dakota’s Ava Galvan has six solo blocks over her last four matches. This is the most by a UND player in a four-match stretch since Marissa Stockman had seven over four matches in 2022.
• Kansas City hit a season high .277 during Saturday’s loss to St. Thomas. Freshman Stella Smith boasted a .778 hitting percentage against the Tommie’s -- the best individual mark by a Roo this season.
• Oral Roberts Julia Carr notched a career-high 24 digs against North Dakota.
Results
Thursday, Oct. 30
North Dakota 3, Oral Roberts 1
Denver 3, North Dakota State 1
South Dakota 3, St. Thomas 0
South Dakota State 3, Omaha 2
Saturday, Nov. 1
Denver 3, North Dakota 0
North Dakota State 3, Oral Roberts 0
St. Thomas 3, Kansas City 0
South Dakota State 3, South Dakota 2
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