South Dakota State Volleyball Opens NCAA Tournament Against No. 8 Seed Miami

South Dakota State is set to take on No. 8 Miami in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon in Lincoln, Nebraska. Friday’s match will be SDSU’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in the Division I era and first in 17 years.

SDSU enters the weekend with a 27-2 overall record. The Jackrabbits went 26-1 in the regular season, then won its Summit League semifinal in five sets over Denver before falling in five to South Dakota in the title game. Miami is 21-10 on the year and went 12-8 in ACC action. The Hurricanes have four wins over ranked opponents this season, including over then-No. 1 Texas, 3-2, in September. On the other side of Lincoln’s First Round bracket, Nebraska takes on Florida A&M following the Jackrabbits’ match against Miami. The winners will meet Saturday night.

KEY STORYLINES

• The Jackrabbits, picked to finish sixth in the Summit’s preseason poll, won the regular season title for the first time since 2007. 2007 was the Jacks’ first season in the Summit League and first season of DI postseason eligibility.
• SDSU opened the season with a 22-match win streak and was the last unbeaten team in the country. The Jackrabbits enter the weekend with a 27-2 record with both their losses coming in five sets. They are one of eight teams with two or fewer losses.
• The Jacks’ 27 wins this year is an 18-win improvement from the team’s 9-20 overall record last season. SDSU finished at 286 in the final 2023 RPI and are 30th in the latest RPI.
• The Jackrabbits are one of the top defensive teams in the nation, ranking 10th in blocks per set and 15th in opponent hitting percentage. With 305 team blocks on the season, SDSU is one block shy of matching its single-season team blocks record (more relevant records on page 4).
• SDSU attributes a lot of its success this season to a 10-day trip to Brazil in June. The Jackrabbits played five matches on their trip, including two against the U19 Brazilian national team.
• South Dakota State dominated the Summit League end-of-year awards with Dan Georgalas named Coach of the Year, Sylvie Zgonc named Player of the Year and Madison Burr Freshman of the Year. Sydni Schetnan was a first-team selection.
• This is the first NCAA Tournament appearance for all but two Jackrabbits – Sydni Schetnan and assistant coach Cole Aiazzi (page 3).
• OH Sylvie Zgonc ranks 25th in the country in kills per set (4.41 KPS) and MB Sydni Schetnan is 25th in hitting percentage (.394).
• Lincoln native Annalee Ventling-Brown, a senior at SDSU, returns to play in her hometown for the first time since high school. She grew up watching Nebraska volleyball and attending games at Devaney.

-GoJacks.com-