5 hours Ago By Matt Zimmer
BROOKINGS — South Dakota State entered Tuesday night's match against rival USD with a pair of 18-game streaks on the line. The bad one ended. The good one continued.
ADVERTISEMENT With a 3-2 win (25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 26-24, 15-8) that saw the Jackrabbits fight back from match point in the fourth set and dominate the fifth, SDSU improved to 19-0 (8-0 Summit League) on the season, remaining the only undefeated volleyball team in Division I. And with the win they ended an 18-game losing streak against the Coyotes, one that dates back to 2015. Staying unbeaten and in the driver's seat in the Summit League race was enough to make this a highly satisfying win for the Jacks.
Coming against their rivals in front of 2,224 First Bank & Trust Arena fans, and doing it with a massive comeback, make it one of the most significant wins in recent program history. "It's surreal right now," said Jacks coach Dan Georgalas. "There's so much to process there.
The fourth set comeback, the fifth set, the swings in momentum the entire match — I couldn't be prouder of our group for never giving up and never stopping to believe we could do it. Nineteen wins in a row to break our streak against them — it's an unbelievable story." For USD (13-6, 5-3), it was a tough loss to take, coming against a rival they've dominated and having to lament being one point away from the win in the fourth set.
"Those are the ones that eat at you a little bit, when you put yourself in position to win a match," said USD coach Leanne Williamson. "But it doesn't come down to one play or two plays. We felt like we were in a good spot and we had opportunities.
" It looked early on like SDSU might have an easy time of it, as they rolled to a 25-18 win in the first set. Of the 18 wins SDSU had coming into Tuesday, half of them were straight set sweeps, as they often take early momentum and don't let go. But USD came back to win the second set 25-21, then dominated most of the third set.
ADVERTISEMENT They led 18-7 at one point, but SDSU chipped away, getting within a point before the Coyotes secured the 25-23 win. That gave USD a 2-1 lead in the match, but it was fair to think the Jacks might have built some momentum with their near-comeback. They weren't able to carry that directly over into the fourth, as USD scored five of the first seven points, but the Jacks had given themselves a shot in the arm with the third set rally that they say carried them the rest of the match.
"I think that really built our momentum," said Sylvie Zgonc, who had 24 kills in a high-flying and hard-hitting performance. "We were like this is our house (when they faced match point), let's do it for the people here and do it for each other. Nobody comes in here and messes with us, especially USD.
That really fueled our fire." USD led 23-20 in the fourth set, putting the Jacks' backs firmly against the wall. Then it was 24-22.
But the Coyotes wouldn't score again, and Zgonc sent it to a fifth set with a pair of vicious kills. "I give it all to my teammates," Zgonc said of her offensive prowess. "They were there telling me to rip it and to cover for me.
Setting was on point and defense was on point. It was all thanks to them." Then the fifth was all Jacks.
They led 8-3 as the teams switched sides, and moments later they were celebrating. "I don't think we ran out of gas, I think the start (to the fifth) affected us," Williamson said. "Those first few points took the wind out of our sails and then we just weren't as aggressive.
" Lauren Medeck had 20 kills and 12 digs for USD. Kylen Sealock had 19 kills and Amanda Loschen 12. Kamryn Farris had 22 digs and Avery Van Hook 48 assists.
ADVERTISEMENT For SDSU Zgons was the ace, with Sydney Schetnan and Annalee Ventling-Brown notching eight kills, Katie Van Egdom seven and Alyssa Groves and Madison Burr six. Rylee Martin had 27 assists and Camryn Honn 21. Zgonc had 13 digs, Rachel Wieber 12 and Joslyn Richardson 11.
Both coaches credited the crowd and the atmosphere of the match. First Bank & Trust Arena is an added bonus to this breakthrough season for Jackrabbit volleyball, and the rise of the program out of the doldrums should strengthen the rivalry with the Coyotes. Meanwhile SDSU's winning streak continues.
How long can it go? They've already more than doubled their win total from last season, and their next win would give the Jacks their first 20-win season since 2007. "None of our goals were to go undefeated," said Georgalas, whose team will host Denver on Saturday at 1 p.m.
ahead of the football game against USD. "Not a single person. We want to win a (Summit League) championship, and I'd gladly lose a game or two if it allowed us to accomplish that team goal at the end of the year.
This streak is unbelievable. Nineteen in a row, that's crazy.".
