Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at Omaha on October 30, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
/
7:00 p.m.
Women's Volleyball
at Omaha
South Dakota State University Athletics
Friday, October 18
Brookings. S.D.
7 p.m.
South Dakota State University
vs
Purdue Fort Wayne
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
Jacks welcome Purdue Fort Wayne, travel to Omaha
10/16/2019 9:52:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
| Â MATCHES 19Â & 20: South Dakota State (5-13, 2-4); Purdue Fort Wayne (11-9, 5-1); Omaha (10-11, 3-4) |
| Â When | Â Friday, Oct. 18, 2019 | 7 p.m. | Â Monday, Oct. 21, 2019 | 7 p.m. |
|  Where |  Frost Arena | Brookings, S.D. |  Baxter Arena | Omaha, Neb. |
| Â Live Video | Â GoJacks.com/Watch | Â OMavs.com |
| Â Live Stats | Â GoJacksLive.com | Â OMavs.com |
|  Game Notes |  South Dakota State | |
| Â Social Media | Â Twitter | Facebook | #PERFORM | |
The South Dakota State women's volleyball wraps ups its three-game homestand on Friday as it hosts Purdue Fort Wayne, before traveling to face Omaha on Monday. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Jackrabbits split their pair of matches this past week, falling to South Dakota in straight sets (16-25, 15-25, 16-25) and defeating North Dakota, 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-22, 25-22). State is now 5-13 overall with a 2-4 Summit League mark.
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Against South Dakota, Makenzie Hennen posted eight kills and 11 digs, while Tatum Pickar added 11 digs. In the match against the Fighting Hawks, Crystal Burk and Ashlynn Smith each registered a double-double. Burk totaled 18 kills and 13 digs, while Smith recorded 11 kills and 11 digs. Pickar was just one dig shy of her career-best as she tallied 23 digs.
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SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne holds an overall record of 11-9 and a 5-1 record in Summit League play, good for second in the Summit League standings. The only conference opponent that the Mastodons have fallen to is North Dakota State by a score of 3-0. Most recently, Purdue Fort Wayne swept Oral Roberts and edged Omaha, 3-2. Katie Crowe heads the offense with 259 kills, averaging 3.16 kills per set. Crowe also as accumulated a team-best 23 service aces. Rachael Crucis leads the way for the Mastodons with 352 digs, while Crowe and Sidney Schiller add 231 and 171 digs, respectively. Ranking first on the Purdue Fort Wayne squad and third in the Summit League with 75 blocks is Sydney Boerst.
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Steve Florio is in his sixth season at the helm of the Mastodons with a record of 238-115. The Jackrabbits are 6-24 all-time against the 'Dons. A season ago, State fell to Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-0, on both occasions.
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Omaha
The Mavericks are 10-11 overall this season with a 3-4 Summit League mark. Last weekend, Omaha swept Western Illinois and fell to Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-2. Additionally, Omaha was edged by Denver, 3-2, in its Serve Pink Match on Tuesday. Isabella Sade leads the offensive efforts for the Mavericks with 296 kills and 37 service aces. Sadie Limback and Anna Blaschko add 241 and 234 kills, respectively. As a team, Omaha is hitting .215 compared to its opponents at .184. Sami Clarkson aids the offense with 654 assists, while Jaclyn Taylor has a total of 268Â assists. Claire Mountjoy has accumulated 389 digs, averaging 4.47 digs per set. Rylee Marshall holds a team-best 77 blocks.
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Matt Buttermore is in his first season as the head coach of the Mavericks. The Jacks are 20-32 all-time against the Mavericks. During the 2018 season, the Jacks dropped its pair of matches to Omaha by scores of 3-1 and 3-0.
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POSITION RUNDOWN
Outside Hitters
- Makenzie Hennen has a total of 233 kills, 193 digs and 16 blocks. She has recorded double digit kill totals in 14 of the 18 matches the Jacks have played, while registering a double-double in nine matches. The senior holds a hitting percentage of .145 including a career best mark of .556 in the Jacks' win over Prairie View A&M. She tied her career-best of 24 kills against Milwaukee. Hennen ranks fifth in the Summit League in total kills (233) and kills per set (3.38).
- Tying for second for the Jacks in kills with 155 is Ashlynn Smith, who also has 49 digs, 31 blocks and 16 service aces. Smith registered her first double-double of the season against North Dakota with 11 kills and 11 digs. The senior was named to the Katrinka Crawford Invitational all-tournament team.
- Crystal Burk has also tallied 155 kills, 15 service aces and 186 digs. She registered a career-best 19 kills against Memphis on a season-high hitting percentage of .417. Against Kansas City, she recorded a career high of 19 digs. Burk notched her seventh ever double-double against North Dakota with 18 kills and 13 digs. The sophomore was named to the EIU Panther Invitational all-tournament team.
Middles
- A trio of freshman, in Anna Nerad, Tori Thompson and Abby Fryauf, have covered the middle for the Jacks.
- Nerad has led SDSU's blocking in nine matches including a career high of seven blocks against Louisiana Monroe. She has a total of 47 blocks, 61 kills and 31 digs.
- Thompson has tallied 88 kills and 31 blocks, including a career-best performance against Fresno State with 12 kills on a .550 hitting percentage.
- During the opening weekend of Summit League play, Fryauf debut in the starting lineup. She has recorded nine blocks and eight kills.
- Sydney Andrews has appeared in five matches, including five starts. She has recorded seven kills and three blocks
Back Row
- Tatum Pickar paces the Jacks with 271 digs, averaging 3.93 digs per set. She has also posted 12 service aces. Drew McDougall has earned some playing time, including four starts, as a freshman and has tallied 80 digs.
Setters
- Carly Wedel and Madison Fay aid the offense with 351 and 264 assists, respectively. Wedel posted a career-best 51 assists against Milwaukee.
POST SEASON ACCOLADES
Makenzie Hennen became the first Jackrabbit since Ashley Beaner in 2016 and the eighth overall to earn all-league honors as she was named honorable mention All-Summit League.
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After posting a 3.425 GPA as a team, the Jacks were recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, earning the Team Academic Award for the 2018-2019 season.
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#PERFORM
With #PERFORM as the official hashtag for the 2019 campaign, SDSU looks to take the next step in Cirillo's fifth season. SDSU closed last year with a pair of wins in its final five matches, and seven Jackrabbit returners blend with eight promising newcomers on this year's team.
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SMITH, HENNEN NAMED PLAYERS TO WATCH
SDSU's Ashlynn Smith and Mackenzie Hennen were recognized by the Summit League as 2019 Volleyball Players to Watch.
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Smith started 25 of 29 matches for South Dakota State last season, finishing second on the team in kills (251) and kills per set (2.46). The Laporte, Indiana native recorded a pair of double-doubles and had double-digit in 10 matches.
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Hennen, an All-Summit League honorable mention pick in 2018, started all 29 matches and was the team's top all-around threat. She led the Jackrabbits in kills (340), kills per set (3.27) and attempts (1,098) while sitting second in digs (281), service aces (13), digs per set (2.70) and solo blocks (seven). The Jordan, Minnesota native had two 20-kill matches, 18 10-kill matches and 13 double-doubles. Hennen has 725 career kills and is on pace to reach 1,000 kills before her collegiate career comes to a close.
-GoJacks.com-
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
RS
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
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OH
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MH
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S
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