Volleyball Remains Undefeated in Pentagon

Sunday, October 30

Sanford Pentagon - Sioux Falls. S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

4-20, 3-9

Fort Wayne

11-15, 7-5

Fort Wayne

South Dakota State

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

10/30/2016 3:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score The Summit League release

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Oct. 30, 2016 – The Sanford Pentagon was again a friendly home venue for the South Dakota State volleyball Sunday afternoon as the Jackrabbits recorded a 15-25, 25-18, 25-17 and 25-22 win over Fort Wayne in The Summit League action in front of 415 fans.

The Jackrabbits, who improved to 4-20 overall and 3-9 in league play, played in the Sanford Pentagon for their annual "Dig Pink" game. SDSU won the first-ever NCAA Division I volleyball game in the Pentagon in 2015.

Senior Ashley Beaner led the Jackrabbits with 18 kills while freshman Makenzie Hennen added 14 kills. Sophomore Mattison Munger had a double-double with 47 set assists and a team-best 18 digs. Junior Ellie Benson added 16 digs.

"I've been saying for a few weeks that we've been playing well. My biggest hope has been that we learned from the could've, should've, would've match Friday," said second-year SDSU head coach Nicole Cirillo, noting the Jacks suffered a five-set loss Friday to Oral Roberts. "We didn't come out strong and made some errors but the fact we were able to turn it around and win three-straight sets was very impressive. We swung away and took control of the things we needed to control. I felt we were in control of the match after the first set."

Fort Wayne used a 6-1 run midway in the first set before adding an 8-2 run for a 23-14 lead.

The second set saw the Jackrabbits hit .500 by recording 19 kills with 2 errors in 34 attacks. Hennen recorded seven of her kills in the set while Beaner added five. Senior Nazya Thies gave the Jacks a 10-6 lead after recording a kill and a service ace. South Dakota State extended its lead to 16-8 after an ace by Munger. Thies and Munger both had two aces in the match.

The teams traded runs in the third set before the Jacks used a 4-1 run to take an 18-4 lead. South Dakota State then used a 5-0 run to take a 24-16 lead. Hennen gave the Jacks the 25-17 win with a kill.

Fort Wayne took a 19-17 lead after a 3-0 run in the final set. The Jackrabbits answered with a 3-0 run after a time out. Munger's second ace of the match gave SDSU a 20-19 lead. Hennen and Thies recorded back-to-back kills for a 22-20 lead. Beaner then gave the Jackrabbits a 23-21 lead with a kill before another kill made the final score, 25-22.

UP NEXT
SDSU returns to action Friday at Omaha for a 7 p.m. match.

For more information on the South Dakota State volleyball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksVB) or like South Dakota State Volleyball on Facebook.

-GoJacks.com-