South Dakota volleyball falls in straight sets to No. 12 Minnesota in NCAA Tournament 1st round
After three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years, South Dakota is still looking for its first set win.
The Coyotes (20-10, 15-3 Summit) fell in straight sets to No. 12 Minnesota (21-8, 15-5 Big Ten) in Minneapolis (25-19, 25-22, 25-17), ending their season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the same result of each of its last two appearances in 2018 and 2020. USD, who rallied on several occasions, couldn’t create a run that was enough to build a lead over the Gophers.
South Dakota head coach Leanne Williamson said the margins are “very small” when playing a team the caliber of Minnesota. USD scored the first points in the first and second sets, but that would be the only times it led all matches. The Coyotes had 26 errors and a 0.088 hitting percentage, effectively canceling out 12 kills by junior outside hitter Elizabeth Juhnke and nine kills by senior middle blocker Maddie Wiedenfeld.
Earlier: Matchup with No. 12 Minnesota latest addition to South Dakota volleyball's NCAA Tournament resume
“They’re a good team,” senior setter Madison Jurgens said. “I don’t think we have anything to be upset about with this game.”
The Coyotes, who graduate a senior class that has been to the NCAA Tournament in all but one of their years, continue to search for the match win in NCAA postseason play that they've come so close to achieving in the last four years.
South Dakota fell to an 8-1 deficit in the first nine points of the match, but like they did against Omaha in the Summit League championship, they surged. Minnesota was off the mark on several passes, and the Coyotes’ hitters took advantage. USD was able to get several kills off possessions that began with a Coyotes dig as the Gophers struggled to get clean hits.
“We just gained a little boost of confidence,” Wiedenfeld said. And we kind of ran with that until they pushed us back.”
They cut the lead to two points, and at one point trailed 15-13. Junior outside hitter Elizabeth Juhnke, who starred in USD’s conference championship win, had five kills in the first set. But unlike the Summit League title game, South Dakota’s runs didn’t last. Minnesota took control of the first set, winning 25-19.
The second set developed in a similar way: Minnesota took early control, then South Dakota made a run cutting the deficit to one twice before tying it at 17-17 by scoring on four of five plays later in the set. On one sequence in the second set, Aimee Adams swung hard at a ball that sailed way out of bounds for a Minnesota point. But then a kill by outside hitter Sami Slaughter and an attack error by the Gophers earned South Dakota the points back quickly.
Yet just like the first set, even though South Dakota’s run lasted just a bit longer, it didn’t last for long enough to tie the set score. For all South Dakota provided in short spurts, the errors mounted. Minnesota took the first two sets after a 25-22 win in the second set, taking a 2-0 lead that gave them total control.
The sloppier play continued in the match-clinching third set. South Dakota had multiple errors in the first several points. By the time that Minnesota collected a few kills, it had built a lead that, like the two sets before, was too much for South Dakota to create a run to counter.
“We belong here. Our program has improved a ton in the last few years,” Williamson said. “They’ve had a ton of success and I think we can all walk away feeling we did give it our all.”
Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: NCAA volleyball tournament: South Dakota falls 3-0 to No. 12 Minnesota
