VERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota volleyball will face off with Missouri in the opening round of the NCAA National Tournament on April 14, inside the CHI Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Coyotes, making their second NCAA appearance at the Division I era in the last three seasons, won the Summit League Tournament title with a thrilling five-set win over top-seeded Denver on Saturday.
“I mean today is exciting,” coach Leanne Williamson said. “Yesterday I think even after the match, it took me some time to probably bring my heart rate down. Just to get the emotional emotion level down.
“Obviously just a really exciting day for this team, for this program, something that they’ve worked so hard for this year and this year come to that point and to be able to watch them pull off that win in a very, very, very, very tough match, was the highlight obviously of the year to this point. So, you know, really excited for them glad we’re able to celebrate it. Take that in a little bit and enjoy the moment.”
South Dakota (15-6), third place finishers in the Summit League regular season, won a pair of five-set matches in back-to-back days to capture its second Summit League tournament title in the last three seasons.
Missouri, meanwhile, is 15-7 overall and within the Southeastern Conference, finishing third in the regular season standings.
The 25th-ranked Tigers are making their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000 and the sixth straight and fell in the second round to Nebraska in 2019.
