Jacks are back

Jackrabbit Volleyball bounce back by winning three straight

Brayden Byers, Sports Reporter

The Jackrabbit volleyball team came into last week needing a win, and that’s what they got. 

The Jacks were coming off a five-game losing streak, putting them back in the standings with a 10-13 record. 

Facing off against 1-29 rival NDSU Tuesday, the Jacks came out determined to put an end to the losing streak. South Dakota State and the Bison were tied at 1 set apiece, before SDSU won out, 3-1.

After the win, the Jacks returned to Frost to take on the St. Thomas Tommies. 

Becoming a Division I program in 2021, the Tommies sat at 3-22 coming into the game. SDSU kept the power going taking that match in straight sets. 

In total, they had 46 kills while holding St. Thomas to a .115 attack percentage. Crystal Burk became the 5th Jackrabbit to pass 1,500 career kills, with her 18 Thursday night. 

Set one remained close until the end, but SDSU ended up pulling away as well as moving their momentum to take sets two and three by 11 and six points respectively. 

Moving on to the weekend game, the Jacks met up with last place Western Illinois. The Leathernecks, who are winless in the Summit, had only three wins on the season so far. 

SDSU came into the match with heaps of momentum, taking the first frame 25 to 7. 

Western Illinois bounced back in sets two and three, finishing with 17 points in the third and pushing the fourth to extra services with a 26-24 final. 

SDSU had eight blocks, which was a season high for a sweep with Ella Thompson and Annalee Ventling-Brown with four each. 

Burk inched closer to number one in single-season kills, moving into second all-time with 458, which is eighth in the nation. 

Raegen Reilly surpassed 1,000 single season assists, sitting at 1,018 which is second all-time at SDSU and 24th in the country. 

The Jacks now focus on yet another road trip as they head to Oklahoma and Missouri.

Oral Roberts is 7th in the Summit with a 4-10 conference record. The Golden Eagles are on a 5-game losing streak, having been swept the last three times out. 

Sophomore outside hitter Trinity Freeman leads Oral Roberts in kills, sitting at 2.99 a set. She has an attack percent of .167. 

The Jacks will have to look out for Sakira LaCour, who is steady at the net. She is averaging over one block per set, totaling over 100 on the season so far. 

State will be visiting Kansas City on Saturday to round out their away schedule. The Roos sit one spot above Oral Roberts with a 5-9 conference record. 

KC just broke a three-game losing streak by upsetting Denver Saturday with four sets. They will be looking to take the season sweep on the Jackrabbits. 

Odyssey Warren is the leading attacker with 3.29 kills per set and an attack percent of .147. Kimora Whetstone has 84 blocks so far this season, averaging just under one block per set. 

The Jacks take on Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. Thursday and Kansas City at 1 p.m. Saturday. You can find the streaming links on GoJacks.com.