The South Dakota State volleyball team fell 25-15, 25-23 and 25-23 to Valparaiso in the Hampton Inn Jackrabbits Invitational in front of 179 fans Saturday afternoon at Frost Arena.
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Juniors
Sierra Peterson and
Payton Richardson each recorded seven kills to lead the Jackrabbits (1-4). Katherine Carlson's match-high 10 kills led Valparaiso (2-4).
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Turning point
Valparaiso used a 4-0 run to take a 9-6 lead in the first set before recording another 4-0 run for an 18-10 advantage.
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It was over when …
Valpo's Ally Cummings recorded back-to-back kills for a 24-15 lead in the first set.
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Jackrabbit freshman
Hanna Jellema tried to bring SDSU back in the third set, recording back-to-back service aces as SDSU went on a 5-0 run to come within one, 24-23, forcing Valpo to take two timeouts during the run.
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They said it
"Our offense struggled more than normal, but I have to give credit to their defense. I thought we were taking good, aggressive swings. We just couldn't find a way to get the ball to the floor. So that caused some issues scoring points," third-year head coach
Nicole Cirillo said. "Our blocking came to life in sets two and three which definitely helped close that gap. I still feel good about where we are going. It's just finding a mixture and getting everybody on the same page."
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Star of the game
Peterson had a solo block and two block assists to go with five digs and seven kills.
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Up Next
The Jacks take on the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona at 6 p.m. Saturday at Frost Arena.
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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