VERMILLION - South Dakota State volleyball battled for four sets Friday but fell 3-1 (25-18, 30-32, 17-25, 21-25) to South Dakota at the Sanford Coyotes Sports Center.
Fans were once again treated to a matchup of outstanding performers in South Dakota's Elizabeth Juhnke and South Dakota State's
Crystal Burk. Juhnke, who leads the nation in kills, put down a match-high 28 for the Coyotes. Burk, who ranks seventh in the same category, had 21 kills to lead the Jackrabbits.
The pair combined for 138 attacks - 71 by Juhnke and 67 by Burk - and had only four errors apiece. Juhnke hit .338 and Burk hit .254. Burk tallied two of SDSU's six service aces.
On the defensive end, Burk notched 14 digs and took part in four blocks compared to 18 digs and two blocks for Juhnke. In total, Juhnke was responsible for 29 points and Burk had 25.5.
With 67 attacks in the match, Burk became South Dakota State's all-time attacks leader. She currently has 4,464 attacks in her career, passing Kristina Martin (4,403 attacks, 2004-2007).
In the end, SDSU earned more points than USD, 72-67, had a 6-3 edge in aces, recorded two more blocks (10-8) and posted an 82-78 advantage in digs. Both teams had 56 kills and the Coyotes tallied slightly more assists, 55-53.
Ella Thompson matched her career best with 14 kills on a career-high 33 attacks. The sophomore paced the SDSU defense with five blocks.
Elyse Winter finished with seven kills and a .333 clip while
Sydney Andrews contributed five kills at a .444 rate.
Raegen Reilly and
Carly Wedel shared the setting duties and gave out 27 and 21 assists, respectively. Wedel's mark is her highest of the season.
Jadyn Makovicka recorded 23 digs for the Jacks and gave out three assists.
Alia Schlimgen notched the first double-digit night of her career, finishing with 16 digs.
Katie Van Egdom contributed 13 digs to go with her five kills.
Evelyn Diederich chipped in 12 kills for the Coyotes and Lolo Weideman led all players with 28 digs. Madi Woodin gave out 45 assists.
NOTES
- The Jackrabbits slip to 10-13 on the season and 4-7 in Summit League action.
- The Coyotes are now 21-2 overall and 10-1 in the conference.
- Attendance at the Sanford Coyote Spots Center was 2,702, the second highest attendance mark for a volleyball match at the venue.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits will wrap up a four-match road swing at North Dakota State Tuesday night.
-GoJacks,com-