SDSU got two big, in-conference rivalry wins last week and added another on Tuesday night to move to 14-3 and 8-0 in conference play.
North Dakota State
Last Thursday, SDSU got a 3-0 sweep of the North Dakota State Bison. At the time, both teams went into the matchup undefeated and SDSU head coach Dan Georgalas talked about what this win means for the team. “Anytime you’ve got the last two undefeated teams in the league facing each other, it’s a separation game.”
SDSU defeated the Bison 25-21 in the first set, 25-22 in the second and to close out the match SDSU won 25-18 to secure a 3-0 sweep.
In the match, sophomore Madison Burr led the Jacks with 11.5 points on eight kills and four blocks.
Junior Sylvie Zgonc also ended the night with eight kills and finished with nine total points. Zgonc also added nine digs to her stat line.
For NDSU, senior Baily Randall led the Bison and the match in scoring with 12 points on 11 kills.
Lauren Jansen was a close second with 11.5 points with seven kills, four aces and one block assist. She secured a double-double with 12 digs.
South Dakota
Following the North Dakota State match, the Jackrabbits traveled to Vermillion on Saturday to take on the Coyotes for the first time since SDSU lost 3-2 in the Summit League Championship.
SDSU came out on top with a 3-1 victory to keep the undefeated streak alive, while the Coyotes fell to 4-3 in conference.
In the first set, USD came out strong to take a 1-0 lead after a close 25-22 win. The Jackrabbits responded, winning the next three sets. In the second set SDSU won 25-19, in the third they won 25-18 and the fourth and final set ended 25-19 to give the Jackrabbits a 3-1 win.
Zgonc led the Jackrabbits in scoring with 21 points on the night, all of them being kills. Zgonc also added 11 digs to secure a double-double.
Freshman Hanna Klein also had a big night with 17.5 points. Klein had 12 kills, three service aces and three total blocks.
For USD, it was Lauren Medeck leading the way with 15 points and seven digs. 14 of those points came on kills for the sophomore.
Junior Amanda Loschen also had a solid night with 13.5 points. Loschen had 11 kills and four total blocks at the end of the night.
North Dakota
The Jackrabbits got another sweep under their belt on Tuesday night in Grand Forks. The Jacks beat the Fighting Hawks 3-0 to continue their winning streak and remain a perfect 8-0 in conference play.
For the Jacks Zgonc once again led the team in scoring with 15 points on 13 kills. Zgonc also added nine digs.
The Jacks second leading scorer was Madison Burr who racked up 12.5 points on nine kills. Like Zgonc, Burr also added nine digs to her stat line.
For the Fighting Hawks it was Matthea Dalton and Vanessa Washington leading the way in points. Both players tallied six and a half points on the night. Dalton led the team with six kills while Washington recorded four kills and four total blocks on the night.
On the year Sylvie Zgonc not only leads the Jackrabbits in scoring and kills but also leads the Summit League in points per set. Zgonc has tallied 265.5 points on the season with 244 kills, which averages to 4.5 points per set. Zgonc has also added 156 kills on the year.
Another standout for the Jacks this season is sophomore Madison Burr who has 199.5 points on the season so far with 144 kills and 75 blocks on the season. Burr’s stats are good enough to put her at ninth in the Summit League in points per set with 3.38.
Oral Roberts
This Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., SDSU will host Oral Roberts. Oral Roberts currently sits at 2-18 with an 0-8 conference record.
When SDSU traveled to Tulsa, they came away with a 3-0 sweep of the Golden Eagles. In that match, Sylvie Zgonc led the way for the Jacks with 13 points. Freshman Hayden Hart led the way for ORU, tallying 10 points.
Hart leads the team in scoring this season with 157 points, with 151 of them being kills. The freshman has also added 34 digs on the season.
Following close behind in scoring is sophomore outside hitter Hope Hickman. Hickman has a total of 151.5 points on 141 kills.
Even though those two players lead the team in total points, the Golden Eagles’ leading scorer in points per set is sophomore Cortnee Smith. Smith is averaging 3.09 points per set while Hart and Hickman are tied at 2.79 points per set. Smith has tallied 126.5 total points on the season with 119 kills.
Denver
The Jackrabbits’ next test will come when they stay at home to face Denver on Saturday, Oct. 25, at one p.m.
Denver currently sits at 13-5 on the season with a 5-2 conference record, with one of those losses coming at home to SDSU in a 3-1 loss.
In that match, Zgonc led the Jacks with 19.5 points with 16 kills. But senior Ava Reynolds led the match in points with 22.5 on 20 kills.
This performance marked Reynolds’ best performance of her senior season statistically. Over the year so far, Reynolds leads the Pioneers in points with 221 on 197 kills. She also totaled 101 digs on the season.
Genevieve Lewis is second on the team in scoring with 196 points. Lewis has 180 kills on the season and 27 blocks.
Six-foot-two redshirt senior Kate Perryman leads the team in blocks from the middle blocker position. Perryman has tallied 62 blocks and 72 kills so far this season to total 107 points.
After the Jackrabbits face Denver they will travel to Omaha to face the Mavericks for the second time this season.
