Houston, Texas – The University of North Dakota volleyball team used a potent offensive attack and stingy defense to sweep South Dakota on Friday and reach the finals of the Great West Conference Tournament. The Fighting Sioux (21-6) registered their 11th straight victory as they defeated the Coyotes (13-17) for the third time this season (25-12, 25-19, 25-19).
Sophomores Devin Trefz (Bagley, Minn.) and Annika Smed (Albert Lea, Minn.) led a UND offense that doubled the Coyotes in kills, 40-20, and hit .282 for the match (40k-16e-85a). Trefz led all players with 12 kills, while Smed added 11.
“We wanted to set the tone early and we did just that,” UND head coach Ashley Hardee said. “We were very efficient in the opening set and played much better than last Saturday. Devin and Annika were outstanding again and they have played great against USD all season.”
The Coyotes took the Sioux to five sets on Senior Day in the regular-season finale, but it was a different story at Sharp Gym in the Lone Star State this time around.
The UND defense held USD to a -.011 attack percentage (20k-21e-88a) after the Coyotes hit nearly .200 in the last meeting. Smed was a key cog in the defensive effort as well, posting 16 digs to register her team-leading ninth double-double of the campaign.
“Our defensive effort was outstanding tonight,” Hardee added. “To hold them to a negative hitting percentage was big time. We had several players step up tonight and play really well. We have one more to go and we will need this same kind of effort and intensity to get the job done tomorrow.”
Seniors Britta Hanson (Thompson, N.D.) and Amanda Polzin (Hutchinson, Minn.) had identical stat lines as both players finished the match with six kills and three blocks.
Smed had four of her kills in the opening set that saw the Sioux roll to a 25-12 victory. With the scored tied at 3-3, UND reeled off six straight points to seize control of the set. Smed finished things off with a kill as the 13-point victory was their largest of the Coyotes this season.
The Coyotes held the lead on three different occasions in the second set, but all those advantages were early in the set. After falling behind 6-4, the Sioux regrouped and went on a 10-1 run to gain control of the match for good. Polzin and Smed both had four kills in the set.
Senior setter Megan Langseth (Alexandria, Minn.) opened the third set by serving out five straight points as the Sioux jumped on the Coyotes early and never looked back. Langseth, who was named Setter of the Year on Thursday, had a match-high 26 assists.
The Sioux will face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 Utah Valley and No. 6 Houston Baptist that was being played later in the evening at Sharp Gym. The championship match is slated for 2 p.m. and can be heard live on www.FightingSioux.com.
