Jackrabbits host South Dakota in midweek match

Tuesday, October 8

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

South Dakota

Photo by: SDSU Sports Information

10/7/2019 6:31:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

MATCH 17: South Dakota State (4-12, 1-3) vs. South Dakota (15-1, 4-0)

When	Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Video	GoJacks.com/Watch
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #PERFORM

The South Dakota State women's volleyball team is set for a midweek match as it hosts South Dakota on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Tuesday is the annual "Cubby's Feeds the Fans" event at Frost Arena, as SDSU sponsor Cubby's will provide burgers for fans prior to first serve.

LAST TIME OUT
In its first Summit League road test, South Dakota State fell to Denver, 3-1 (13-25, 15-25, 31-29, 18-25) and Oral Roberts, 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 16-25, 20-25). The Jackrabbits fell to 4-12 overall and 1-3 in Summit League action.

Against Denver, Makenzie Hennen led the Jacks with 12 kills, while Crystal Burk led the defense with 16 digs. In the match at Oral Roberts, Burk recorded her third double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs. Tatum Pickar posted a career-best 24 digs against the Golden Eagles.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
South Dakota holds an overall record of 15-1 and a perfect 4-0 mark in Summit League action. Elizabeth Juhnke paces the Coyotes with 237 kills averaging a Summit League best of 4.02 kills per set. Sami Slaughter and Elizabeth Loschen hold totals of 211 and 121 kills, respectively. Madison Jurgens ranks second in the conference with 666 assists. Lolo Weideman paces the Coyotes with 27 service aces while adding 125 digs.

Defensively, Anne Rasmussen has a total of 274 digs. Maddie Wiedenfeld and Madison Harms have registered 62 and 61 blocks, respectively, good for sixth and seventh in the Summit League.

USD is under the direction of head coach Leanne Williamson who is in her fifth season with a record of 97-56. The Jacks trail South Dakota 18-12 in the all-time series. A season ago, SDSU went 0-3 against the Coyotes, falling 3-0 on both occasions.

POSITION RUNDOWN
Outside Hitters

Makenzie Hennen has a total of 215 kills, 178 digs and 14 blocks. She has recorded double digit kill totals in 13 of the 16 matches the Jacks have played, while registering a double-double in nine matches. The senior holds a hitting percentage of .149 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 (215) and in kills per set (3.47).
Ranking second in kills with 141 is Ashlynn Smith, who also has 37 digs, 27 blocks and 15 service aces. The senior was named to the Katrinka Crawford Invitational all-tournament team.
Crystal Burk has tallied 131 kills, 14 service aces and 167 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 sixth ever double-double against Oral Roberts with 12 kills and 11 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 eight matches including a career high of seven blocks against Louisiana Monroe. She has a total of 43 blocks, 53 kills and 26 digs.
Thompson has tallied 77 kills and 26 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.

Back Row

Tatum Pickar paces the Jacks with 237 digs, averaging 3.82 digs per set. She has also posted 10 service aces. Drew McDougall has earned some playing time, including four starts, as a freshman and has tallied 72 digs.

Setters

Carly Wedel and Madison Fay aid the offense with 326 and 221 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.

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.

#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.

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.

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.

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-