Coyotes lose in four games to No. 4 Louisville

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (USD) — After dropping the first two sets to No. 4 seed Louisville, the South Dakota volleyball team fought back to win the third set 25-23 thanks to a .290 attack percentage. However, the top-ranked Cardinals showed their mettle in the fourth set, pulling out a four-set victory.

Sophomore Avery Van Hook surpassed the 1,000 assist mark as a Coyote in the second set, dishing out 25 assists on the day. Kylen Sealock reached the double-digit kill mark for the third straight game to start the season with 12.

Louisville posted a .412 hitting percentage in the game and boasted attack rates of .579 and .632 in the first and fourth sets, respectively. 2023 ACC Player of the Year Anna DeBeer and All-ACC First Team member Charitie Luper each had 12 kills for the Cardinals.

In both the first and second sets, the Coyotes found their rhythm shortly after Louisville took an early lead. In the first frame, the Coyotes used a 7-2 run to get within two points of the Cardinals (13-11). Sealock scored two kills during the run, while Morgan Bode notched her third ace of the season. But Louisville, which had a hitting percentage of just .579, scored six unanswered points to win the set 25-14.

Bode started the Yotes' 6-2 run midway through the second set with a kill assisted by Van Hook. USD's final spurt brought the score to 13-11 in the Cardinals' favor. Louisville and the Yotes traded points back and forth, but ultimately the Cardinals were able to fend off USD's comeback attempts and win the second set 25-17.

After trailing 0-2, the Coyotes fought back with their best set to take a 25-23 victory in the third frame. The Yotes had their best hitting period with a .290 attack rate. The Cardinals held the advantage until a 6-2 run by the Coyotes, capped by a kill from Sealock, gave the Yotes an 18-17 lead. The fourth-seeded Cardinals fought back to take a 21-20 lead, but a kill from Amanda Loschen and two kills from Lauren Medeck gave the Yotes a set point. Kamryn Farris closed the frame with a service ace, and South Dakota picked up its first set win against Louisville.

The Cardinals took a 7-1 lead in the fourth set and held on until they won in four sets. Louisville finished the game with a brilliant .632 batting average in that set.

South Dakota will face host team Northern Kentucky in the second game of the NKU Invitational tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT.

NOTES

• South Dakota falls to Louisville 0-4 overall.

• The Coyotes' third-set win was the first set USD won against the Cardinals.

• Avery Van Hook reached the 1,000-assist mark in her career with her tenth assist of the game in the second set.

• Kylen Sealock recorded her third consecutive game with double-digit kills to start the season.

• Louisville hit .412 in the game, while the Yotes hit .087

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