USD volleyball sweeps Air Force to cap weekend

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (USD) — South Dakota volleyball capped off an unbeaten weekend with a sweep of Air Force Sunday afternoon on Falcon Court. The Coyotes boasted a balanced attack against the Falcons with four players tallying nine or more kills.

Kylen Sealock picked up right where she left off from last night’s match, leading the Yotes with 13 kills on a .357 attack rate and picked up her first double-double of the season with 10 digs. Freshman Audrey Nelson was a force at the net, taking part in eight blocks (one solo, seven assisted) and put away nine kills at a .421 clip.

“The team was extremely resilient today! We stayed composed when we didn’t start our best and when they pushed back throughout the sets, especially the third,” said head coach Leanne Williamson . “We were balanced offensively, and we were able to capitalize on that across the net. Our middles were very good on both offense and defense and came up with some huge plays in the biggest moments! I am really happy with how this team started the season. We certainly have things to improve on, but there are a lot of great things to take from these two wins as well!”

Morgan Bode was the most efficient attacker for USD, recording a .500 hitting percentage with 10 kills on 18 attacks. Samantha Laird was the third Coyote in double-figures with 10 kills. Avery Van Hook handed out 40 assists and tallied nine digs, while Kamryn Farris led all players with 15 digs for the second match in a row.

Nelson made her presence felt in the late stages of the first set, helping the Coyotes rattle off seven straight points to take the set 25-20. Nelson opened up the run with a kill, assisted by Van Hook, and would record the 25th point of the frame with her fifth kill. Nelson teamed up with Cheyenne Hlady during the spurt for back-to-back blocks to put the Yotes on set point. Early in the set, Sealock, Bode and Laird were active on the attack for the Yotes, as the three of them combined for 10 kills.

Set two was tightly contested throughout, similar to the opening set, and it was the Yotes who would close out strong once again. Nelson and Sealock teamed up for a block to knot the score at 18-18, followed by a Nelson solo block, and the Coyotes would score seven of the final nine points to earn a 25-20 set two win. Bode, Sealock and Hlady swung at a high percentage in the frame, tallying 10 kills on 17 attacks.

The third set was a game of runs, as both squads put together multiple strings of four or more points in a row. Three straight points, capped off by an Alaina Wolff ace, forced an early Air Force timeout with the Yotes leading 8-4. A pair of kills from Laird and one from Van Hook put the Yotes in prime position to close out the sweep, but the Falcons would answer with five unanswered to tie the set at 23-all. Following an error by the Falcons, Sealock closed the door on the match with her 13th kill of the afternoon.

The Coyotes will now turn their attention to next weekend’s Northern Kentucky Invitational, where they’ll take on No. 6 Louisville first on Friday at 2:00 p.m.

NOTES

• South Dakota begins the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2019 season.
• Both USD’s wins from the weekend were against first time opponents.
• Kylen Sealock led the Yotes in kills with 13 for the second straight match and had 34 total on the weekend.
• In just her second game as a Coyote, Audrey Nelson led all players with eight blocks (one solo, seven assisted)
• After handing out 40 assists today, Avery Van Hook now sits 10 away from 1,000 for her career.
• Kamryn Farris tallied 15 digs for the second match in a row and also dished out five assists.
• Freshman Morgan Bode hit double-digit kills on the day with 10 and rounded out her first weekend in the red and white with 16 kills and a .448 hitting percentage.
• Nelson put away 17 kills in her first two games as a Coyote and hit .412.

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