PEORIA, Ill. – Through three weekends of non-conference action, the South Dakota State volleyball team remains unbeaten. The Jackrabbits topped Bradley 3-1 (25-15, 25-14, 23-25, 25-21) Saturday afternoon at Renaissance Coliseum to improve to 8-0 on the year.
The Jackrabbit defense held the Braves to just .052 hitting with 31 attack errors on 13 total blocks. Sydni Schetnan paced the Jackrabbits with 10 total blocks, including a program-record seven solo rejections.
Schetnan also had 12 kills on 21 errorless swings for a .571 attack rate. She tallied a season-high five digs.
Sylvie Zgonc surpassed 500-career kills Saturday on her way to 15 kills for the match. She is averaging 4.55 kills per set through eight contests in her sophomore season.
Madison Burr added eight kills, four digs, three blocks and a pair of service aces. Rylee Martin dished 23 assists and notched three aces while Camryn Honn added 14 assists. Joslyn Richardson posted a match-high 17 digs.
Silan Demerol had a double-double for Bradley with 15 kills and 11 digs. Bradley falls to 2-6 on the season.
Set one: After trading points to get the set started, SDSU took the lead for good on an Alyssa Groves kill to make it 10-9. A Schetnan kill and Bradley error extended the lead to 12-9. Up 14-11, Richardson notched an ace to cap a 3-0 run. Zgonc had four kills during a 7-1 Jackrabbit run for the 24-14 lead. Honn finished set one with a setter dump.
Set two: Martin put down three ace serves and a kill during a 10-1 start to the second set. Bradley worked its way back to within five at 15-10, then the Jacks scored six straight. The Braves had four attack errors in that stretch. Another Bradley attack error to end the set put the Jacks up 2-0 for the match.
Set three: Bradley jumped out to a 9-2 led in the third set. The Jackrabbits came all the way back to within two late in the set but the Braves hung on to force a fourth.
Set four: Three straight Bradley errors, one including a block from Schetnan, gave the Jacks a 3-0 lead. Burr tallied an ace that made it 11-8 for the Jacks. Schetnan had two kills and a block during a five-point stretch for the 16-10 lead, then another kill and block to make it 18-11. Bradley made it 18-16 with a 5-0 run. SDSU held off the Brave down the stretch and got the final kill from Zgonc.
NOTES
- Sydni Schetnan’s seven solo blocks is a single-match record for South Dakota State. She took part in 10 total blocks, matching the program record.
- SDSU’s 8-0 record is its longest unbeaten start since 2002. The Jackrabbits started the 2002 season 10-0.
UP NEXT
SDSU returns to South Dakota next weekend to host the Jackrabbit Invitational at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. SDSU takes on Idaho State Thursday, Toledo Friday and Belmont Saturday.