KANSAS CITY - #2
Omaha volleyball fell in three sets Monday to third-seeded South Dakota in the semifinal of the 2024 Summit League Volleyball Championship. The Coyotes advance to the championship final on Tuesday, Nov. 26 against regular season champion South Dakota State.
In the first set, South Dakota freshman Morgan Bode capped a 5-1 run midway through with an ace that broke things open for the Coyotes and pushed their advantage to 19-14. Prior to that, the teams exchanged the lead three different times but neither team led by more than three.
Bode closed out the stanza with a kill as the Coyotes only mustered eight during the opening set but took advantage of seven attack errors by the Mavericks.
The Coyotes opened the second set filled with runs by both teams on a 4-0 spurt thanks to a kill and block by Kylen Sealock and a pair of aces by Kamryn Farris. USD would push the lead to 8-1 before Omaha reeled off a 7-2 stretch to make it a 10-8 contest.
USD would lead by five again at 17-12 but the Mavericks would stage another rally, pulling within one on a couple of occasions late in the set to make things interesting.
The Coyotes had an answer, however, gaining a 24-20 advantage but once again the Mavericks did not go down quietly. Three-straight Omaha points cut the deficit to 24-23 but USD would gain the set-clinching point after going to replay review to earn a reversal on a net violation.
After Omaha opened the third set with three straight points, the Coyotes quickly mounted a 7-1 run to take control and force a Maverick timeout. Two quick points by the Mavericks out of the timeout made it a 7-6 contest but USD answered with the next four points as the upset-minded Coyotes pushed their lead to 11-6.
Omaha took its turn churning out a 6-2 run to come within a point but a service error by
Ivy Leuck halted the momentum and the Coyotes scored the next four and never let the Mavericks get any closer as Sealock's back-to-back kills pushed their advantage to 17-12.
Amanda Loschen scored the Coyotes' final two points on kills as they advanced to their fifth title game in the last seven seasons.
Graduate student
McKenna Ruch led Omaha with 10 kills on the night, including a highlight reel play in the opening set that was featured on NCAA Volleyball social media platforms.
Connect with Omaha volleyball on
X (formerly Twitter) and
Instagram,
@OmahaVB.
