OMAHA, Neb. — The South Dakota volleyball season came to a close Thursday night in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament as the Yotes fell in straight sets to No. 2 seed Creighton.
In her final match as a Coyote, Kylen Sealock led South Dakota in kills with nine and had three blocks and five digs. Morgan Bode added four kills and three blocks, while Amanda Loschen had three terminations and two blocks.
Lauren Medeck tallied three blocks (one solo) and had eight digs. Avery Van Hook recorded 13 assists and five digs, while Kamryn Farris had a team-high 11 digs.
It was all Bluejays in the opening frame, as they took the first set 25-10. Creighton hit .486 in the first, led by Ava Martin who had six kills on seven swings, and held USD to three kills.
Sealock was involved in two of the first three points of the second set with a block alongside Loschen and a kill as the Yotes jumped out to a 3-0 lead. However, the Bluejays answered back with their own three-point swing. Two straight kills from Morgan Bode gave the Yotes a 5-4 advantage and Bode would team up with Medeck on a block that kept the Yotes ahead by one early, 7-6. Creighton, however, would find its stride again putting together an 8-2 run that put CU up six, 18-12. The Yotes continued to fight late, as Loschen put away a kill and teamed up with Sealock for a block to cut the CU lead to 22-17, but the Bluejays put away three straight kills to secure the set 25-17.
The Bluejays opened up the third set in a flurry with two kills and an ace from Ava Martin. The Bluejays pulled ahead 23-8 with an eight-point run, but the Yotes would continue to fight by putting together a 6-0 run of their own. Sealock and Bode notched a block, Farris served two straight aces and Sealock hammered home two kills in a row. Creighton ended the Yotes run with a kill and a block to close out its 3-0 win.
The Coyotes end the 2024 campaign with a 21-10 overall record and made their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
Notes
- USD closes out the season with a 21-10 record
- It was the fifth season since 2018 where the Yotes recorded 20+ wins
- The Coyotes made their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2018 season
- Creighton is now 7-2 all-time against the Yotes and 4-2 when in Omaha
- USD went 10-6 in Summit League play, and have won 10+ conference games in every season since 2016