WEDNESDAY SPORTS, NOVEMBER 5, 2025
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels volleyball lost at No. 3 Brandon Valley on Tuesday night 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-13, 25-17). Mitchell falls to 15-7 overall on the season and stays in seventh at Class AA seed points with one game remaining in the regular season. The Kernels host No. 2 O’Gorman on Thursday at 7 pm for Senior Night. The KORNer Booth pregame show starts at 6 pm on KORN News Radio FM 101.3/AM 1490 and KORNRadio.com
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan volleyball ended the regular season with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-15) win at Briar Cliff on Tuesday. Evy Knoblock had a match-high 11 kills, while Karly VanDerWerff and Lily Ranschau had 10 kills each. Setter Kayleigh Hybertson had 37 assists, while Lizzie Tyler had 23 digs. The Tigers are 17-10 on the season and 10-6 in the GPAC.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball won its season opener on Tuesday night at the Corn Palace, defeating Bismarck State 81-43. Shalayne Nagel and Avery Broughton each had a game-high 17 points, while Emma Yost added 15 points. DWU limited Bismarck State to just 26% shooting and had a 48-27 rebounding advantage. The Tigers travel to Seward, Nebraska, to face MidAmerica Nazarene on Friday afternoon at 2 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball moved to 2-0 on the season with an 82-62 win over Bismarck State on Tuesday at the Corn Palace. Freshman Easton Neuendorf and senior Anthony Riggans each had a game-high 18 points. The Tigers will be at Hannibal-LaBrange (Missouri) on Saturday at 3 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s soccer had its season come to an end on Tuesday with a 2-0 loss at Hastings on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament. The Tigers end the season with a 5-4-8 record.
— Two Dakota Wesleyan volleyball players earned weekly honors from the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Junior setter Kayleigh Hybertson was named GPAC Setter of the Week for the third time this season after having 55 assists against Dakota State and 31 more in a sweep of Dordt. Junior libero Lizzie Tyler of Mitchell was named GPAC Defender of the Week, recording 59 digs over the two matches. Hybertson currently ranks first in the GPAC in assists per set, while Tyler leads the conference in digs per set.
— Dakota Wesleyan football hosts Midland on Saturday at 1 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State middle blocker Madison Burr was named the Summit League Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week. Burr led the conference with 1.7 blocks per set and 17 total blocks across two five-set matches for the Jackrabbits. The 6-foot-1 sophomore ranks 27th in the country, averaging 1.35 blocks per set. Burr had 15 kills and nine total blocks in a five-set win over Omaha. Burr then recorded eight blocks in another five-set victory against USD.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball host Dakota State on Thursday at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State volleyball will be at North Dakota State on Thursday at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s soccer will travel to Tulsa on Thursday to face No. 2 seed Denver at 1 pm. No. 1 Oral Roberts faces No. 5 Kansas City at 7:30 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s basketball host Rice on Friday at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State football, 7-2 on the season, will be at USD next Saturday at 3 pm on ESPNU.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball will be at Creighton on Wednesday at 7 pm.
— USD volleyball hosts Omaha on Thursday at 6 pm. The Coyotes are 16-8 overall on the season and 8-4 in the Summit League.
— USD women’s basketball host Air Force on Friday at 11 am.
— USD football hosts SDSU on Saturday at 3 pm at the DakotaDome.
NAIA
— The NAIA and Sioux City have agreed to extend their partnership to host the NAIA women’s basketball national championship at the Tyson Events Center through 2029. Sioux City has been the site for the 16-team tournament since 2021 and previously hosted the NAIA Division II championship for over two decades. The next NAIA women’s basketball championship in Sioux City is scheduled for March 19-24, 2026.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the first rankings released Tuesday by the College Football Playoff selection committee, ahead of fellow unbeatens Indiana at No. 2 and Texas A&M at No. 3. Three SEC teams followed the Aggies, with Alabama at No. 4, Georgia at No. 5 and Ole Miss at No. 6. BYU, Texas Tech, Oregon and Notre Dame round out the top 10. The top ACC team is Virginia at No. 14. Every team in the top 25 came from a Power 4 conference, so the committee designated Memphis as the top team from the Group of 5. The five highest-ranked conference champions will make the 12-team field, but there is a tweak to the format this year as the committee is using a straight seeding model. The top four teams in the final ranking, regardless of conference championship, will receive a first-round bye.
— LSU is promoting Verge Ausberry to athletic director and taking off his interim tag. New school president Wade Rousse made the decision on Tuesday. Ausberry, a former LSU linebacker who has been connected to the university for more than 30 years, was named interim AD last week after Scott Woodward and the school mutually agreed to separate.
NFL
— Sauce Gardner went from last place to first place as the New York Jets sent the two-time All-Pro cornerback to the Indianapolis Colts for two first-round draft picks. Gardner signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the Jets in July. He joins the AFC South-leading Colts after spending his first 3 ½ seasons with the Jets.
— The Dallas Cowboys have traded for star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams of the Jets in a move to try to improve one of the NFL’s worst defenses. The Cowboys are giving a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2026 second-rounder.
MLB
— Boston third baseman Alex Bregman and right-hander Lucas Giolito, along with New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz and the Yankees Cody Bellinger were among the players who turned down player options or exercised opt outs and became free agents. San Diego closer Robert Suarez also turned down his option and went free on the third day of the five-day free agent window. A total of 153 players have become free agents following the end of the World Series and several dozen more potentially can go free through Thursday, depending on whether team, player and mutual options are exercised.
— Catcher Salvador Perez has opted to bypass becoming a free agent, instead agreeing to a two-year contract to remain with the Kansas City Royals. The contract is worth $25 million. The 35-year-old Perez has spent the entirety of his 15-year career with the Royals. Perez played in 155 games last season, hitting 30 home runs, his ninth consecutive full season with at least 20 homers. A nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Perez is the lone remaining player from the Royals’ World Series title in 2015.
NBA
— Josh Giddey had a triple-double with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, while Nikola Vucevic made a 3-pointer with 3 seconds remaining as the Chicago Bulls came back from a 24-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 113-111. Giddey is the first Bulls player to have back-to-back triple-doubles since Michael Jordan in 1989.
— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and 12 assists as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder extended their season-opening winning streak to eight games with a 126-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
— Steph Curry scored 28 points with five 3-pointers as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Phoenix Suns 118-107. Devin Booker scored a season-high 38 points for Phoenix.
— Jose Alvarado made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16 seconds left as the New Orleans Pelicans won for the first time this season by beating the Charlotte Hornets 116-112. Their victory left the Brooklyn Nets as the NBA’s only winless team.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL REGION TOURNAMENTS – TUESDAY
REGION 5A VOLLEYBALL
No. 3 Parker/Marion 3, No. 6 Hanson 1
No. 5 Mt. Vernon/Plankinton 3, No. 4 Bon Homme 2
No. 1 Wagner and No. 2 McCook Central/Montrose
REGION 6A VOLLEYBALL
No. 3 Platte-Geddes 3, No. 6 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 0
REGION 2B VOLLEYBALL
No. 2 Castlewood 3, No. 7 Wessington Springs 1
REGION 3B VOLLEYBALL
No. 1 Chester 3, No. 8 Canistota 0
No. 2 Bridgewater-Emery 3, No. 7 Sioux Falls Lutheran 1
No. 3 Colman-Egan 3, No. 6 Sanborn Central/Woonsocket 0
No. 4 Ethan 3, No. 5 Dell Rapids St. Mary’s 0 – Marissa Storm with 15 kills and 18 digs.
REGION 4B VOLLEYBALL
No. 1 Parkston 3, No. 8 Viborg-Hurley 0
No. 3 Tripp-Delmont/Armour 3, No. 6 Irene-Wakonda 0
No. 4 Freeman 3, No. 5 Centerville 0
REGION 5B VOLLEYBALL
No. 2 Corsica-Stickney 3, No. 7 Lower Brule 0 – Sophie DeLange with 16 kills.
No. 3 Avon 3, No. 6 Kimball/White Lake 0 – Rilyn Thury with 24 kills and 31 digs.
CLASS AA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
No. 1 Harrisburg 3, Watertown 0
No. 2 O’Gorman 3, Huron 0
Aberdeen Central 3, SF Roosevelt 3
SF Jefferson 3, Pierre 0
Yankton 3, Brookings 1
CLASS 11AAA SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
No. 1 Brandon Valley (9-1) vs. No. 5 Harrisburg (6-4)
No. 2 SF Lincoln (9-1) vs. No. 3 SF Jefferson (8-2)
CLASS 11AA SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
No. 1 Yankton (8-2) vs. No. 4 Sturgis (6-4)
No. 2 Huron (8-2) vs. No. 3 Pierre (7-3)
CLASS 11A SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian (10-0) vs. No. 5 West Central (7-3)
No. 2 Dell Rapids (7-3) vs. No. 3 Lennox (8-2)
CLASS 11B SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
No. 1 Elk Point Jefferson (9-0) vs. No. 4 Deuel (9-1)
No. 2 St. Thomas More (10-0) vs. No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake (9-1)
CLASS 9AA SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
No. 1 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy (10-0) vs. No. 5 Hamlin (9-1)
No. 2 Elkton-Lake Benton (8-1) vs. No. 3 Parkston (9-1) – Q107.3
CLASS 9A SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
No. 1 Wall (10-0) vs. No. 4 Phillip (8-1)
No. 3 Alcester-Hudson (8-2) vs. No. 7 Howard (8-2)
CLASS 9B SEMIFINALS – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7
No. 1 Dell Rapids St. Mary’s (10-0) vs. No. 4 Faulkton Area (7-3)
No. 2 Avon (9-1) vs. No. 3 Colman-Egan (7-3) – KORN Country 92.1