VOLLEYBALL SEASON BEGINS AT NORTH TEXAS

Friday, August 27

Denton, Texas

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Grambling State

Photo by: SDSU Sports Information

8/26/2021 9:55:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

MATCHES 1-3: South Dakota State (0-0) at North Texas Invite

When	Friday-Saturday, Aug. 27-28 • vs. Grambling State, 1 p.m. Friday \| at North Texas, 7 p.m. Friday • vs. McNeese State, 11 a.m. Saturday
Where	North Texas Volleyball Center \| Denton, Texas
TV	MeanGreenSports (YouTube channel — North Texas matches only)
Radio	None
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	See below
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook

The South Dakota State women's' volleyball team is set to open its 2021 fall season this weekend at the North Texas Invitational in Denton, Texas. The Jackrabbits are slated to play Grambling State at 1 p.m. Friday, followed by North Texas on Friday at 7 p.m., before closing out the tournament Saturday against McNeese State at 11 a.m.

FOR STARTERS:

Setter: Carly Wedel, 6-1, Jr., Willmar, Minn. • 8.33 assists/set during 2020-21 season
Right-Side Hitter: Elyse Winter, 6-0, Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa • First season at SDSU
Middle Blocker: Sydney Andrews, 6-0, Sr., Jesup, Iowa • .242 hitting pct., 1.25 kills/set, .57 blocks/set in 2020-21
Middle Blocker: Ella Thompson, 6-1, Fr., Lakeville, Minn. • First season at SDSU
Outside Hitter: Chloe Stitt, 5-8, Grad., Summitville, Ind. • Transfer from Austin Peay
Outside Hitter: Crystal Burk, 5-8, Sr., Newnan, Ga. • 3.80 kills/set, 3.36 digs/set in 2020-21
Libero: Tatum Pickar, 5-3, Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn. • 5.32 digs/set in 2020-21

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: The Jackrabbits have played only one match against its three weekend opponents. That came 14 years ago, when SDSU swept North Texas (30-26, 30-22, 30-20) in a match played Sept. 7, 2007, at Frost Arena.

Mackenzie Angner led the way with 17 kills, followed by 11 kills each from the middle-hitting tandem of Amy Anderson and Emily Rooney. Samantha Pearson paced the defensive effort with 20 digs.

Following is a closer look at this weekend's opponents:

Grambling State
The Tigers of Grambling State are led by head coach Demetria Keys-Johnson and are coming off a 2020-21 season in which they went 8-9 overall and 5-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Tigers' .471 winning percentage was their highest since 2017.

North Texas
North Texas has finished in the top five of the Conference USA standings seven out of nine nine years since joining the conference. Last spring marked a bit of a drop from those expectations as the Mean Green finished with a .500 record (11-11) in the pandemic-shortened season.

McNeese
The Cowgirls of McNeese played a Southland Conference-only schedule last season, finishing with a 5-7 record. McNeese head coach Kristee Porter is in her second season.

RABBIT REUNION: When the Jackrabbits face North Texas Friday night, they will be going up against a familiar face. Andrew Palileo, who was head coach at SDSU from 2001-07, is in his ninth season leading North Texas and is the program's career wins leader after compiling a 147-100 record. The Mean Green have won 20 or more matches three times under Palileo, including posting a school-record 29 victories in 2017.

In his seven seasons at SDSU, Palileo led the Jackrabbits to a 154-86 record. SDSU reached the NCAA Division II national championship match in his first season and made a return trip to the Division II postseason in 2002. He then led the Jackrabbits through a successful transition to NCAA Division I competition and guided the Jackrabbits to a Summit League title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007.

Including coaching stops at Bethel (Minn.) from 1997-2000 and Washington State from 2008-10, Palileo holds a 423-295 overall record.

SEASON PREVIEW: The South Dakota State University volleyball team will attempt to take another step forward during the 2021 season.

As they enter their second season under head coach Dan Georgalas and with more competition within the program for starting roles, the Jackrabbits have set to improve on last year's 6-11 record during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.

Junior Carly Wedel returns to lead the Jackrabbit offense from the setter position. The Willmar, Minnesota, native led the team in assists last season with 440, averaging 8.46 assists per set.

Wedel will have a number of options to distribute the ball to on the outside. Crystal Burk is back for her fourth season with the Jacks and was the top hitter on the outside last season as she recorded a team-leading 213 kills. Burk ranked fifth in the Summit League in kills per set (3.80) and sixth in kills. Part of that had to do with her career performance against North Dakota last March, where she recorded a career-high 27 kills. Burk also was second on the team in digs (188) and digs per set (3.36).

Backing up at setter is freshman Jasmine Weidemann.

Junior Akeela Jefferson also is coming off a strong season where she ranked second on the team in both kills (148) and service aces (16).

Graduate transfer Chloe Stitt is also coming into the fold at outside hitter after playing four years at Austin Peay. Last season, Stitt led her team in kills (174) and had 11 matches with double-digit kills.

On the right side, freshman Elyse Winter is penciled in as the opening day starter, while 2020-21 starter Hailee Blau and Abbey Fryauf are back. Blau averaged 1.86 kills per set and tied for the team lead with 34 total blocks last season, while Fryauf returns to the lineup after sitting out last season due to injury.

At middle blocker, freshmen Ella Thompson and Annalee Ventling-Brown will push for prominent roles, while the deep rotation also includes veterans Sydney Andrews, Tori Thompson and Anna Nerad. The three returners combined for 4.07 kills and 1.65 blocks per set.

Senior libero Tatum Pickar leads the defensive effort for the Jackrabbits. She posted a team-high 303 digs (5.32 digs/set) and also led the squad with 23 service aces.

Pickar will be joined in the back row by freshman Faith Sawert and junior Jadyn Makovicka, the latter of whom is a transfer from Rockhurst.

SUMMIT LEAGUE POLL: The South Dakota State University volleyball team has been picked to finish seventh in the upcoming Summit League race, according to a preseason poll conducted among the league's 10 head coaches that was announced Wednesday.

The Jackrabbits are coming off a 2020-21 season in which they posted a 6-11 overall record, including a 6-10 mark in Summit League play, under first-year head coach Dan Georgalas.

Defending league tournament champion South Dakota claimed the top spot in the poll with six first-place votes and 78 points, edging 2020-21 regular season champion Denver with 76 points and the other four first-place votes. Omaha (62 points), Kansas City (60) and North Dakota State (49) completed the top five.

Oral Roberts clipped the Jackrabbits for the sixth spot in the poll with 36 points compared to SDSU's 35. North Dakota (23 points), league newcomer St. Thomas (18) and Western Illinois (13) rounded out the rankings.

In addition, seniors Crystal Burk and Tatum Pickar were nominated as Summit League Players to Watch. An outside hitter from Newnan, Georgia, Burk tallied a team-high 213 kills, averaging 3.8 kills per set, and also ranked second on the squad with 188 digs.

Pickar has handled the libero duties for the past two seasons and led the squad in digs both season, including 303 during the 2020-21 campaign. The Cannon Falls, Minnesota, native ranked second in The Summit League with an average of 5.32 assists per set.

Summit League play begins Sept. 24 at South Dakota.

COACH GEORGALAS: Dan Georgalas (pronounced jor-JAL-iss) was named the 13th head coach in SDSU volleyball program history on Dec. 23, 2019, and is leading the Jackrabbits through a rebuilding process.

In his first season with the Jackrabbits, Georgalas led the Jackrabbits to a 6-11 overall record during a pandemic-altered season. That included a 6-10 mark and sixth-place finish in The Summit League.

Georgalas spent seven seasons on the coaching staff at Wyoming, helping lead the Cowgirls to a 143-74 overall record, including an 87-19 home record. He was an assistant coach for five seasons before being promoted to associate head coach and recruiting coordinator prior to the 2018 season.

The Cowgirls finished in the top three of the Mountain West Conference five times, including runner-up finishes in both 2017 and 2019. The 2019 squad ended the year with a 22-9 overall record, including a 16-2 conference mark, and made its third consecutive appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

A native of the Chicago area, Georgalas began his coaching career as a student assistant at the University of Kansas while working toward a degree in sports management. After graduating in 2010, he stayed on for a year as a volunteer assistant for the Jayhawks and also coached with the Lawrence Juniors Volleyball Club. He also played for the Kansas men's club volleyball team.

In 2012, Georgalas moved on to Stephen F. Austin, where he was an assistant coach for a squad that posted a 22-12 record. While there, he was involved in the on-court training with the middle blockers, outside hitters and passers, plus played a large role in the recruiting process for the Ladyjacks.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are slated to open the home season by hosting the SDSU Invite Sept. 3-4 at Frost Arena. SDSU is scheduled to play three matches over the two days, starting with an 11 a.m. matchup on Friday, Sept. 3 against Montana.

A complete tournament schedule follows:

Friday, Sept. 3
• Montana at SDSU, 11 a.m.
• California Baptist vs. Wichita State, 1 p.m.
• Wichita State vs. Montana, 5 p.m.
• California Baptist at SDSU, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 4
• Montana vs. California Baptist, 11 a.m.
• Wichita State at SDSU, 1 p.m.

-GoJacks.com-