Coyotes fall in four to No. 4 Louisville

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (USD) — After dropping the first two sets against No. 4 ranked Louisville, the South Dakota volleyball team battled back and took the third set 25-23 behind a .290 attack rate. The highly ranked Cardinals, however, would show their prowess in the fourth set as they earned a four-set win.

Sophomore Avery Van Hook eclipsed 1,000 career assists as a Coyote in the second set and dished out 25 assists on the day. Kylen Sealock reached the double-digit kill mark for the third straight match to begin the season with 12 today.

Louisville recorded a hitting percentage of .412 in the match and was boasted attack rates of .579 and .632 in the first and fourth sets, respectively. The 2023 ACC Player of the year Anna DeBeer and All-ACC First Team member Charitie Luper put away 12 kills each for the Cardinals.

In both the first and second sets, the Coyotes would find their rhythm shortly after Louisville would gain an early advantage. In the first frame, the Coyotes used a 7-2 run to pull within two of the Cardinals, 13-11. Sealock tallied a pair of kills during the run, while Morgan Bode tallied her third ace of the season. Louisville, however, behind a .579 hitting percentage, would score six unanswered and take the set 25-14.

Bode started the Yotes 6-2 run midway in the second set with a kill, assisted by Van Hook. USD’s spurt brought the score to 13-11 in favor of the Cardinals. Louisville and the Yotes traded points back-and-forth, but ultimately the Cardinals would hold off USD’s comeback efforts and take the second frame 25-17.

After falling behind 2-0, the Coyotes bounced back with their best set and grabbed a 25-23 third frame win. The Yotes had their best hitting frame with a .290 attack rate. The Cardinals held an advantage until a 6-2 Coyote run, capped off by a Sealock kill, gave the Yotes a 18-17 lead. The fourth-ranked Cardinals would battle back, taking a 21-20 edge, but after an Amanda Loschen kill and a pair of kills from Lauren Medeck the Yotes were on set point. Kamryn Farris closed the frame with a service ace, as South Dakota earned its first set win over Louisville.

The Cardinals jumped out a 7-1 lead in the fourth set and didn’t look back as they complete the four-set win. Louisville hit a blistering .632 in the frame to close out the match.

South Dakota will match up with the host team, Northern Kentucky, tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. CT for their second match of the NKU Invitational.

NOTES

• South Dakota falls to 0-4 all-time against Louisville.
• The third set win for the Coyotes was the first set USD has won over the Cardinals.
• Avery Van Hook reached 1,000 career assists in the second set with her 10th helper of the match.
• Kylen Sealock tallied her third straight match with double-digit kills to begin the season.
• Louisville hit .412 in the match, while the Yotes hit .087

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