SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – With just four matches remaining in Summit League play, the field is set for the 2026 Summit League Volleyball Championship in Brookings later this month. Kansas City secured the final tournament berth with its victory over North Dakota, leaving championship seeding as the primary storyline over the final two weeks of the regular season.
South Dakota currently holds the top spot in the standings at 9-1 and appears to be in the driver's seat for the regular-season title, with South Dakota State and St. Thomas close behind. North Dakota State and Omaha are tied at 6-5, while Kansas City sits just a half-game back at 5-5.
The Coyotes have an opportunity to clinch at least a share of the Summit League regular-season title as early as Saturday with a pair of victories this week. South Dakota first travels to Kansas City on Thursday before taking on Oral Roberts on Saturday. Two wins would secure at least a share of the regular-season crown.
South Dakota State sits second in the standings and is coming off its third consecutive five-set match. The Jackrabbits hit the road this weekend for matchups against Kansas City and Oral Roberts as they look to keep pace with the Coyotes.
St. Thomas currently sits third and has won six of its last seven matches. The Tommies will host Omaha on Friday in a pivotal matchup with significant implications for tournament seeding. The Mavericks are tied for fourth and will look to bounce back from a five-set loss to the Jackrabbits.
North Dakota State, also tied for fourth, welcomes in-state rival North Dakota for a matchup that presents an opportunity for the Bison to gain ground in the standings.
Kansas City, currently sixth, faces a challenging weekend with matchups against both the first-place Coyotes and second-place Jackrabbits. The Roos will look to build momentum following their victory over North Dakota that secured their postseason berth.
North Dakota and Oral Roberts round out the standings in seventh and eighth place, respectively, with both teams looking to close out the regular season on a strong note.
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the race for championship seeding continues to heat up. This week's conference slate begins Thursday night, with several key matchups poised to shape the final standings heading into the postseason.
This Week In The Summit League (All Times Local To Site)
Thursday, Nov. 5 | TV/Stream
South Dakota at Kansas City | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
South Dakota State at Oral Roberts | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Friday, Nov. 6 | TV/Stream
Omaha at St. Thomas | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Nov. 7 | TV/Stream
South Dakota at Oral Roberts | SLN | 12 p.m. CT
South Dakota State at Kansas City | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
North Dakota at North Dakota State | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Key: SLN (Summit League Network)
Around The League
• The field is set for the 2026 Summit League Volleyball Championship, with six teams securing postseason berths. South Dakota, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, North Dakota State, Omaha and Kansas City have all clinched spots, while the final seeding remains to be determined.
• The Summit League remains at No. 11 in the latest NCAA Division I volleyball RPI rankings.
• South Dakota continues to lead the Summit League in the latest RPI rankings, sitting at No. 45 after climbing five spots from the previous week.
•South Dakota is riding a nine-match winning streak, its longest since the 2022 season, when the Coyotes put together two separate winning streaks of 13 consecutive matches.
• South Dakota’s Avery Van Hook ranks 15th in Summit League career assists with 3,968. She is just 32 assists shy of reaching the 4,000-career-assist milestone, a mark reached by only 14 players in league history.
• Two-time Summit League Player of the Year Sylvie Zgonc turned in a career performance against Omaha last week, recording a career-high 28 kills to lead the Coyotes to victory.
•Zgonc now ranks seventh in Summit League history with 1,721 career kills. She is 48 kills away from moving into sixth place on the all-time list.
• Omaha middle blocker Alizabeth Jacobsen turned in one of her top performances of the season against South Dakota State, recording nine blocks, four digs and three service aces while totaling 13 points.
• St. Thomas middle blocker Addie Schmotzer made an impressive return to the court for the Tommies, recording a career-high 16 kills and nine blocks in a five-set victory over South Dakota State.
• Kansas City’s Emry Brown posted a career-high 19 kills against North Dakota State before adding 14 more in a victory over North Dakota. Her efforts helped the Roos secure their first Summit League Championship berth since 2024.
• North Dakota State outside hitter Lauren Jansen surpassed the 1,000-career-kill milestone against Oral Roberts, recording nine kills in the Bison victory.
• North Dakota’s Sally Marong recorded her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 14 kills and 10 digs in the Fighting Hawks’ five-set battle with Kansas City.
•The Fighting Hawks tied their season high with 12 service aces against Oral Roberts, with six players getting in on the action.
• Oral Roberts sophomore Jaya Tarver established a career high with eight total blocks against North Dakota, doubling her previous best of four, which she recorded against both Grambling and McNeese earlier this season.
Results
Thursday, Oct. 29
North Dakota 3, Oral Roberts 0
South Dakota 3, Omaha 0
St. Thomas 3, South Dakota State 2
North Dakota State 3, Kansas City 2
Saturday, Oct. 31
South Dakota State 3, Omaha 2
North Dakota State 3, Oral Roberts 0
Kansas City 3, North Dakota 2
South Dakota 3, St. Thomas 0
#SummitVB
