Volleyball Opens Summit League Season

MATCHES 14 & 15: South Dakota St. (2-11, 0-0); Omaha (3-10, 0-0); North Dakota State (9-3, 0-0)

When	Friday, Sept. 22 \| 7 p.m.	Sunday, Sept. 24 \| 5 p.m.
Where	Baxter Arena I Omaha, Neb.	Frost Arena I Brookings, S.D.
Live Video	Mavs All-Access	GoJacks.com/watch & Midco Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacks.com	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Omaha \| North Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #StriveTogether

The South Dakota State volleyball team begins its 11th season of Summit League play this weekend when it travels to Omaha, Nebraska, for a 7 p.m. match Friday vs. the Mavericks and then hosts North Dakota State at 5 p.m. Sunday.
            Sunday's match will be broadcast live on the Midco Sports Network.
            The Jackrabbits completed their nonleague portion of the 2017 schedule going 2-11. Last week, they lost 3-0 at UIC and went 1-2 in the CEFCU Invitational at Bradley. SDSU lost to the Braves (3-0) and Grand Canyon (3-0) and defeated UMKC (3-1). Junior Sierra Peterson was named to the all-tournament team, averaging 2.10 kills, collecting five service aces and six total blocks.
            Omaha begins Summit League play after posting a 3-10 nonleague record. The Mavericks went 0-3 in their own tournament this past weekend, falling to Kansas State (3-1), Northern Iowa (3-1) and 10th-ranked Nebraska (3-0).
            North Dakota State sits at 9-3 on the season after going 3-0 at the Florida Atlantic University Invitational. The Bison defeated Stetson (3-1), Florida Atlantic (3-1) and Savannah State (3-0).

Poster Night

After Sunday's match, the Jackrabbits will hold an autograph session in Frost Arena. Fans are encouraged to bring one item to be signed, with posters available as well while supplies last.

Setting the Scene

South Dakota State won its first and last nonleague matches, snapping an 11-match losing streak with the UMKC victory Sept. 16.
The Jackrabbits are 24-54 in Summit League road matches since 2007. The Jacks have lost their last four Summit League road matches, dating to a 3-0 loss at IUPUI Oct. 23.
SDSU is 42-40 at home in Summit League matches since 2007. Its last home league win was a 3-1 upset of Fort Wayne Oct. 30, 2016.
The last time the Jackrabbits won their Summit League road opener was 2012 when they defeated Omaha, 3-0. The last home opener win was also in 2012 when they defeated North Dakota State, 3-1, Sept. 16.
SDSU and Omaha meet for the 55th time with the Mavericks leading the all-time series, 33-21. The last time SDSU won at Omaha was Oct. 13, 2013, with a 3-1 victory.
Sunday's match is the 89th between State and NDSU. The Bison lead the all-time series, 73-15. The Jacks are looking for their first win over NDSU since winning in four sets Sept. 16, 2012, in Frost Arena.
South Dakota State is in its 52nd season overall and 13th in the Division I era. The Jackrabbits sport an 896-694-8 (.560) all-time record and 175-243 (.418) 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 .148 as a team and is led offensively by sophomore Makenzie Hennen. The outside hitter is averaging 2.53 kills per set and 2.10 digs per set.
Junior right side hitter Sierra Peterson is averaging 2.30 kills per set. She also has a team-high 20 service aces.
The Jackrabbits have converted to a 6-2 offense with junior Mattison Munger averaging 7.28 set assists and 2.26 digs per set. Freshman Maddie Fay averages 4.46 set assists and 1.62 dps.
On defense, the Jackrabbits' lone senior, libero Ellie Benson, tops the squad with 3.68 digs per set.
The bright spot for South Dakota State has been blocking. The team averages 1.73 blocks per set with junior transfer Payton Richardson, Peterson and freshman Macy Smith with 26 total blocks each.
The Jackrabbits return five starters from the 2016 season in Peterson, Hennen, sophomore Ashlynn Smith (2.17 kps, 0.40 bps), Munger and Benson. Richardson (1.58 kps, 0.65 bps) and Smith (1.38 kps, 0.70 bps) join the probable starting six this weekend.
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 Opponents

Omaha (3-10)—Omaha finished the nonleague portion if its schedule with a 3-10 record after going 0-3 last week in its own tournament. UNO is 0-3 in home matches.

The Mavericks are hitting .177 as a team with their offensive attack coming from Mackenzie Horkey. The junior outside hitter averages 2.50 kills per set.
Freshman middle blocker Bella Sade is hitting .267 and is one of three UNO players to hit higher than .200.
Senior setter Sydney O'Shaughnessy runs the Omaha offense, averaging 9.65 set assists per match and ranking fourth in The Summit League.
Freshman libero Claire Mountjoy (4.46) is one of five Mavericks averaging more than 2.0 digs per set. She ranks third in the league in digs per set.
Omaha is averaging 1.92 blocks per set with Sade tallying 45 total blocks.
Series vs. Omaha—UNO leads 33-21.

Last Outing - Omaha 3, South Dakota State 2
OMAHA, Nebraska—Nov. 4, 2016—Ashley Beaner led South Dakota State on offense, but it lost in five sets 24-26, 25-12, 25-16, 18-25 and 15-12 at Omaha in The Summit League action.
            Beaner had a team-high 18 kills and hit .300 for the match. Nazya Thies recorded her fourth double-double of her career with 11 kills and 13 digs. Ellie Benson registered her second career 30-plus dig match with a match-high 30 digs. Makenzie Hennen added a personal-best 14 digs.
            Chloe Dousette led Omaha with 21 kills and Ashley Smith had 22 digs.
            After five ties, including 23-23, SDSU won the first set after Omaha had two errors and Thies recorded the set-winning kill.
            An 11-2 run midway through the second set was all Omaha needed for the win. The Jackrabbits managed just six kills and committed eight errors.
            The Jackrabbits trailed 13-8 in the third set when the Mavericks went on a 7-2 run to take a 20-10 lead. SDSU then outscored Omaha 6-5, but it wasn't enough for the win.
            With the score tied at 13-13, two kills by Thies and one each by Sierra Peterson and Beaner fueled a 6-0 run to give the Jacks a 19-13 lead. SDSU finished the set with back-to-back kills by Ashlynn Smith and Beaner.
            Omaha took a 9-6 lead in the fifth set before SDSU used a 4-1 run to tie the set at 10-10. Beaner had two kills and teamed with Smith for a block during the run. The Mavericks closed on a 5-2 run.

North Dakota State (9-3)—North Dakota State enters Summit League play with a 9-3 nonleague record. It enters the week on a five-match winning streak. NDSU is at South Dakota Saturday.

The Bison are hitting .171 as a team and are led by Erika Gelzinyte. The senior outside hitter is logging 3.19 kills per set and 2.24 digs per set. Junior outside hitter McKenzie Burke is averaging 3.02 kills per set and 2.34 dps.
Freshman middle hitter Emily Halverson is hitting a team-high .280.
Senior setter Brianna Rasmusson averages 9.69 assists per set and 2.50 digs per set.
NDSU has four players averaging two-or-more digs per set, led by senior libero and Summit League leader Mikaela Purnell with 6.05 digs per set.
Freshman middle blocker Bella Lien averages a team-leading 1.02 blocks per set and North Dakota State averages 2.16 bps.
Series vs. NDSU—NDSU leads, 73-15.

Last Outing - NDSU 3, South Dakota State 1
FARGO, North Dakota—Nov. 10, 2016—Ashley Beaner and Nazya Thies both recorded double-doubles, but it wasn't enough to overcome North Dakota State in Summit League action. The Jackrabbits lost 22-25, 6-25, 25-19 and 22-25 in front of 659 fans at Benson Bunker Fieldhouse.
            Beaner recorded her fifth double-double of the year with 13 kills and 14 digs. Thies also picked up her fifth double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs. Makenzie Hennen added 10 kills. Ellie Benson registered a match-high 24 digs.
            Emily Minnick led the Bison with 17 kills while Hadley Steffan added 11 kills and 14 digs.
            In the first set, South Dakota State spotted North Dakota State a six-point lead before the Jacks used an 11-1 run to take a 13-9 lead. Beaner, Thies and Ashlynn Smith each had a pair of kills in the run. The teams were tied five times before NDSU broke a 21-21 tie with a 4-1 run for the win.
            After being within two points at 6-4 on a Smith kill, the Jackrabbits scored just two more points in the second set, losing 25-6.
            The Jacks came back in the third set, taking a 13-8 lead after Thies posted back-to-back kills. The Bison battled to pull within three, 23-20, but a solo block from Thies and a Beaner kill finished the set.
            SDSU took a 13-6 lead early and built a seven-point lead, 17-10, midway through the fourth set. NDSU then used a 7-0 run to tie the match at 17-17. The teams tied again at 20-20, before the Bison outscored the Jackrabbits 5-2 to win the set and 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-

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Beaner

Ellie Benson

Madison Fay

Makenzie Hennen

Mattison Munger

Sierra Peterson

Payton Richardson

Ashlynn Smith

Macy Smith

Nazya Thies

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at North Dakota on October 21, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Oral Roberts on October 23, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Denver on October 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at Omaha on October 30, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus South Dakota on November 1, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at North Dakota State on November 6, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Completed Event: Women's Volleyball at South Dakota on October 18, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Women's Volleyball versus North Dakota State on October 16, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Women's Volleyball versus St. Thomas on October 11, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Women's Volleyball versus Kansas City on October 9, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Women's Volleyball at Oral Roberts on October 4, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Women's Volleyball at Denver on October 2, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 1

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