Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at North Dakota on October 21, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
/
7:00 p.m.
Women's Volleyball
at North Dakota
South Dakota State University Athletics
Saturday, November 4
Brookings, S.D.
6 p.m.
South Dakota State University
vs
Western Illinois
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
Senior Night Saturday
11/1/2017 9:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
| Â MATCH 25: South Dakota State (2-22, 0-11) vs. Western Illinois (6-18, 1-9) |
| Â When | Â Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 l 6 p.m. |
|  Where |  Frost Arena l Brookings, S.D. |
| Â Live Video | Â GoJacks.com |
| Â Live Stats | Â GoJacks.com |
|  Match Notes |  South Dakota State l Western Illinois |
|  Social Media |  Twitter l Facebook l #StriveTogether |
            The South Dakota State volleyball team returns to the friendly confines of Frost Arena for a single match Saturday. The Jackrabbits host Western Illinois at 6 p.m.
           SDSU (2-22, 0-11) lost a pair of matches last week, falling at Denver (3-0) and Oral Roberts (3-0).
           Junior Sierra Peterson led the team on offense with 15 kills while senior Ellie Benson collected 16 digs in two matches.
           Western Illinois (6-18, 1-9) is seventh in The Summit League. The Leathernecks lost at Omaha (3-0) Oct. 27.
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Senior Night/Hike & Spike
- South Dakota State will honor senior Ellie Benson prior to Saturday's match.
- Jackrabbits fans can also take advantage of Hike & Spike Saturday. A football ticket from the Jackrabbits' game vs. North Dakota State gets fans into the volleyball match for free.
Setting the Scene
- South Dakota State is looking to snap an 11-match losing streak and win its first Summit League match of the season.
- SDSU is 42-44 at home in Summit League matches since 2007. Its last home league win was a 3-1 decision over of Fort Wayne Oct. 30, 2016.
- Saturday's match is the 23rd meeting between State and WIU. The Jackrabbits lead the all-time series, 16-6. State has won four of the last five matches.
- South Dakota State is in its 52nd season overall and 13th in the Division I era. The Jackrabbits sport an 896-706-8 (.556) all-time record and 175-255 (.406) mark in Division I play.
A Quick Glance at South Dakota State
- South Dakota State, led by third-year head coach Nicole Cirillo, is hitting .124 as a team and is led offensively by sophomore Ashlynn Smith. The outside hitter is averaging 2.41 kills per set.Â
- Junior outside attacker Sierra Peterson averages 2.00 kills per set and has a team-high 27 service aces.
- Freshman Maddie Fay has taken over the setting duties for State. She averages 4.64 set assists.
- On defense, the Jackrabbits' lone senior, libero Ellie Benson, tops the squad with 3.94 digs per set and ranks fifth in Summit League matches and sixth overall.
- The bright spot for South Dakota State has been blocking. The team averages 1.66 blocks per set with freshman Macy Smith leading the squad with 50 (13-37) total blocks.
- The Jackrabbits returned four starters from the 2016 season in Peterson, Smith, Munger and Benson. Junior middle hitter Payton Richardson (1.36 kps, 0.65 bps), Macy Smith (1.20 kps) and freshman Erin Cutts join the probable starting six Saturday.
- South Dakota State was picked to finish seventh in The Summit League preseason coaches poll.
- The 2017 SDSU volleyball roster features 14 players from nine states. Of the 14 players, two are from South Dakota, four from Iowa, two from Nebraska and one each from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin. By class, the Jacks have one senior, three juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen.
This Weekend's Opponent
Western Illinois (6-18, 1-9)—Western Illinois enters the weekend looking to end a six-match losing streak.
- The Fighting Leathernecks are hitting .166 as a team with their offensive attack coming from freshman Emma Norris. The outside attacker leads the squad in kills per set (2.31) and averages 2.53 digs per set.
- Freshman middle hitter Mackenzie Steckler leads Western Illinois with a .319 hitting percentage and 0.94 blocks per set, ranking seventh in The Summit League matches.
- Junior setter Jaime Johnson runs the Fighting Leathernecks' offense, averaging 8.11 set assists.
- Sophomore libero Claire Grove is recording a team-best 4.19 digs per set. Western Illinois averages 15.96 digs per set with five players with 2.0-or-more digs per set.
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Munger Moving Up Assists List
- Mattison Munger is within six set assists of 2,000 for her career. She would become just the eighth Jackrabbits with more than 2,000 career set assists.
Diggin In
- Ellie Benson is in her final season playing for the Jackrabbits. She enters the week with 993 career digs.
- Last year, Benson finished the season with 459 digs and so far this season, she has 311.
- The last Jackrabbit to record 1,000 career digs is Benson's former teammate Lizzie Palmer (2012-15) with 1,111.
For more information on the South Dakota State volleyball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksVB) or like South Dakota State volleyball on Facebook.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballVolleyball Post Match Comments vs North Dakota State (10.16.2025)
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Sunday, October 12