DENVER – The South Dakota State volleyball team improved to 13-0 on the season Saturday with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 24-26, 25-20) win over Denver at Hamilton Gymnasium.
The Jackrabbits hit .292 as a team, their fourth-best mark of the season, and tallied 16 total blocks, their third-most this year. Sydni Schetnan, a middle blocker, had another big night for the Jackrabbits. She tallied 14 kills with just one error for a .619 hit percentage to go with five block assists.
Sylvie Zgonc posted a team-high 17 kills and added five digs, three blocks and an ace. Freshman Madison Burr hit .438 on the afternoon with seven kills and led all players with eight blocks. Alyssa Groves added seven total blocks (six assists, one solo) and Annalee Ventling-Brown had four block assists.
A trio of players tallied six digs each to lead the team – Rylee Martin, Rachel Wieber and Alia Schlimgen. Martin also dished 29 assists. Camryn Honn chipped in 11 helpers and put down the match-winning ace serve.
Denver’s Cassie Davis led all players with 19 kills. Molly Mirabelli added 11 kills and a team-high four blocks.
Set one: Denver had a 12-11 lead as the sides traded points over the first half of the set, then the Jacks put together a 5-0 run. Groves was in on two blocks during the stretch and Katie Van Egdom capped it with a kill that forced a Denver timeout at 16-12. The Pioneers worked back to within two points out of the timeout and stayed within striking distance. A Schetnan-Zgonc block, then a Zgonc kill make it a four-point game at 21-17 and the Jacks held the Pios off the rest of the set.
Set two: Trailing 5-7 in the second set, SDSU scored four of the next five to take the lead on an ace by Burr. With the set tied at 11, SDSU rattled off five straight with kills from Groves, Zgonc and Martin and a block by Groves and Burr. A Denver serving error and a kill from Ventling-Brown made it a six-point game at 19-13. Zgonc had another kill to extend the team to 23-15, then the winner for the 25-18 set two final score.
Set three: Denver jumped out early in the third set and held their lead until three straight points by SDSU tied the set at 14. The Jacks took the lead following a run with a Denver error and a kill and block by Burr, 17-16. The Pios surged again and went back up, 22-20, with a run. SDSU managed to knot the set again at 24 but Denver was able to force the fourth.
Set four: Three unforced attack errors by Denver helped SDSU to a 5-3 lead in set four. Burr and Van Egdom combined for a 6-0 run to lead 12-8. Denver managed to come back within one multiple times over the second half of the set but the Jacks scored five of the final six points to secure the match. Honn served up an ace off the tape for the final point.
NOTES
- The Jackrabbits are now 4-21 all-time against Denver. The last win over DU was at the Summit League Tournament in 2021. Saturday’s victory was SDSU’s first in Denver’s home gym.
- South Dakota State started 14-0 in 2000. The Jackrabbits current 13-0 mark is the best start in the Division I era and is the longest overall win streak in that same period.
- The match featured 23 tie scores and 12 total lead changes.
- SDSU is one of four unbeaten teams in the country as of 8 p.m. CT Saturday.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits will bring their unbeaten record home to First Bank & Trust Arena for the first time this season. The Jacks host Kansas City in the first event in the new facility Thursday at 7 p.m.