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USD Notebook: Volleyball Team Starts Season With Four Wins Over D-1 Foes
BY JEREMY HOECK
jeremy.hoeck@yankton.net
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a weekly USD notebook, highlighting Coyote athletes and achievements.
VERMILLION — Competing nearly 1,200 miles from its campus, the University of South Dakota volleyball program took a significant step forward last weekend: It defeated four Division I teams.
The Coyotes went 4-0 at the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament, held last weekend in Hampton, Va. There, USD topped Wofford College (3-2) and Delaware State (3-1) on Friday, followed by wins over Fairleigh-Dickinson (3-0) and Providence College (3-0) on Saturday.
The victories marked the first Division I wins for any USD program.
“We were anxious to play new teams we had really never heard of before,” senior Kathleen Hruska said Tuesday. “We wanted to keep the winning going and prove we can beat D-I teams.”
Of the four teams the Coyotes defeated in Virginia, only one (Providence) is coming off a winning record in 2007, and another (Wofford) has all starters returning.
“To come out and perform like that just proves we do have athletes here who can compete at this level,” first-year coach Matt Houk said. “We’ve got a veteran, mature team, which has allowed us to play a more fast-paced system. We took advantage of holes in our opponent’s sets, which is what good teams do.”
The Coyotes return five of six starters from last year’s 23-9 record, with two seniors (Hruska and Laura Slagter) who transferred to USD from South Dakota State prior to last year.
“Those two have seen D-I opponents before and they understand what we’re playing for,” Houk said. “They’re out there for pride, to have this team leave its mark on the program.”
The early-season success is also nothing new for the Coyotes, who started 14-0 last year and won three-straight tournaments to open the season. Houk said for teams to have success in a four-match, two-day format they need to be in “tip-top” physical condition.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time, so we know what each of us likes to do,” Hruska said. “We played our game and it ended up working out for us again.”
The USD tandem of Heather Hult and Amber Kobus earned the first Great West Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, according to an announcement Tuesday. Hult recorded a team-high .625 hitting percentage, while Kobus averaged 20 digs in each of the four matches for the Coyotes.
This weekend, the Coyotes will compete in another tournament — the Golden Eagle Classic in Crookston, Minn. Friday, USD will face Minnesota State-Moorhead (3-1) and Bemidji State (3-1), followed by matches with Lake Superior State and Minnesota-Crookston (0-4) on Saturday.
“To be honest, I really don’t know a lot about these schools,” Houk said. “We’ve spent (Tuesday) and Monday fixing what we didn’t do well out in Virginia. And the rest of the week, we’ll spend our practices preparing for these four new teams.”
As a transitioning school, USD is ineligible for postseason play, but will still compete in the season-ending Bryant National Transitional Tournament in Smithfield, R.I. While at SDSU, Hruska was a member of the Jackrabbits squad that was also ineligible for NCAA postseason play, but still took second in a 2005 D-I Independent Tournament, followed by another tournament appearance in 2006.
“I’ve been in this type of situation before,” Hruska said. “Just because we can’t play for playoffs doesn’t mean we won’t play hard every single time.
“It’s about small victories.”
Soccer Hosts SMSU
Following back-to-back games against Division I opponents, the USD soccer team returns home to face D-II Southwest Minnesota State today at 4 p.m. in Vermillion.
The Coyotes (0-2) have started the season with a home loss to Creighton, 4-0, and a road defeat at Wyoming, 7-0, last Friday.
Southwest Minnesota State also comes in 0-2 after season-opening losses to Colorado-Colorado Springs (3-0) and Colorado State-Pueblo (4-0). The Mustangs were picked to finish 12th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference after a 3-13-4 record last season.
Senior Sarah Halbach has a team-high four shots for USD this year, while senior goalkeeper Ann Opsahl — a Yankton native — has 12 saves in goal.
Following today’s game, the Coyotes will head down to Texas for showdowns with D-I Texas-El Paso on Friday and Houston Baptist on Saturday.
Cross Country Opener
Former Yankton High School coach Dan Fitzsimmons will make his collegiate coaching debut this Saturday as his USD men’s and women’s cross country teams will host the Don Baker Invitational.
The meet, held at the Don Baker Cross Country Course located north of the DakotaDome, will include four men’s and women’s collegiate teams — USD, Mount Marty College, Midland Lutheran and Morningside College.
The Invite will also include a separate six-team high school meet. High school teams competing include Omaha (Neb.) Bryan, Vermillion, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Elk Point-Jefferson, Freeman Academy and Irene-Wakonda.
The meet starts at 9 a.m., with the college portion started at 10:15 a.m.
First Look At UNI
For the first time in 26 years, the USD football program will face Northern Iowa, an established Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse. The two teams will square off Saturday at 4 p.m. in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Panthers, ranked No. 5 in the FCS Coaches Poll, are coming off a 41-17 loss to No. 16 Brigham Young of the Bowl Championship Subdivision — also known as Division I-A. In that game, UNI out-gained BYU 149-77 in rushing yardage and forced four turnovers.
Last year, Northern Iowa finished the regular season 11-0 and held a No. 1 national ranking for six straight weeks. The Panthers have won four Missouri Valley Football Conference titles this decade (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007).
In the last meeting between the Coyotes and Panthers, back in 1982, UNI came away with a 41-24 win.
VERMILLION — Competing nearly 1,200 miles from its campus, the University of South Dakota volleyball program took a significant step forward last weekend: It defeated four Division I teams.
The Coyotes went 4-0 at the Tiny Laster Memorial Tournament, held last weekend in Hampton, Va. There, USD topped Wofford College (3-2) and Delaware State (3-1) on Friday, followed by wins over Fairleigh-Dickinson (3-0) and Providence College (3-0) on Saturday.
The victories marked the first Division I wins for any USD program.
“We were anxious to play new teams we had really never heard of before,” senior Kathleen Hruska said Tuesday. “We wanted to keep the winning going and prove we can beat D-I teams.”
Of the four teams the Coyotes defeated in Virginia, only one (Providence) is coming off a winning record in 2007, and another (Wofford) has all starters returning.
“To come out and perform like that just proves we do have athletes here who can compete at this level,” first-year coach Matt Houk said. “We’ve got a veteran, mature team, which has allowed us to play a more fast-paced system. We took advantage of holes in our opponent’s sets, which is what good teams do.”
The Coyotes return five of six starters from last year’s 23-9 record, with two seniors (Hruska and Laura Slagter) who transferred to USD from South Dakota State prior to last year.
“Those two have seen D-I opponents before and they understand what we’re playing for,” Houk said. “They’re out there for pride, to have this team leave its mark on the program.”
The early-season success is also nothing new for the Coyotes, who started 14-0 last year and won three-straight tournaments to open the season. Houk said for teams to have success in a four-match, two-day format they need to be in “tip-top” physical condition.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time, so we know what each of us likes to do,” Hruska said. “We played our game and it ended up working out for us again.”
The USD tandem of Heather Hult and Amber Kobus earned the first Great West Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, according to an announcement Tuesday. Hult recorded a team-high .625 hitting percentage, while Kobus averaged 20 digs in each of the four matches for the Coyotes.
This weekend, the Coyotes will compete in another tournament — the Golden Eagle Classic in Crookston, Minn. Friday, USD will face Minnesota State-Moorhead (3-1) and Bemidji State (3-1), followed by matches with Lake Superior State and Minnesota-Crookston (0-4) on Saturday.
“To be honest, I really don’t know a lot about these schools,” Houk said. “We’ve spent (Tuesday) and Monday fixing what we didn’t do well out in Virginia. And the rest of the week, we’ll spend our practices preparing for these four new teams.”
As a transitioning school, USD is ineligible for postseason play, but will still compete in the season-ending Bryant National Transitional Tournament in Smithfield, R.I. While at SDSU, Hruska was a member of the Jackrabbits squad that was also ineligible for NCAA postseason play, but still took second in a 2005 D-I Independent Tournament, followed by another tournament appearance in 2006.
“I’ve been in this type of situation before,” Hruska said. “Just because we can’t play for playoffs doesn’t mean we won’t play hard every single time.
“It’s about small victories.”
Soccer Hosts SMSU
Following back-to-back games against Division I opponents, the USD soccer team returns home to face D-II Southwest Minnesota State today at 4 p.m. in Vermillion.
The Coyotes (0-2) have started the season with a home loss to Creighton, 4-0, and a road defeat at Wyoming, 7-0, last Friday.
Southwest Minnesota State also comes in 0-2 after season-opening losses to Colorado-Colorado Springs (3-0) and Colorado State-Pueblo (4-0). The Mustangs were picked to finish 12th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference after a 3-13-4 record last season.
Senior Sarah Halbach has a team-high four shots for USD this year, while senior goalkeeper Ann Opsahl — a Yankton native — has 12 saves in goal.
Following today’s game, the Coyotes will head down to Texas for showdowns with D-I Texas-El Paso on Friday and Houston Baptist on Saturday.
Cross Country Opener
Former Yankton High School coach Dan Fitzsimmons will make his collegiate coaching debut this Saturday as his USD men’s and women’s cross country teams will host the Don Baker Invitational.
The meet, held at the Don Baker Cross Country Course located north of the DakotaDome, will include four men’s and women’s collegiate teams — USD, Mount Marty College, Midland Lutheran and Morningside College.
The Invite will also include a separate six-team high school meet. High school teams competing include Omaha (Neb.) Bryan, Vermillion, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Elk Point-Jefferson, Freeman Academy and Irene-Wakonda.
The meet starts at 9 a.m., with the college portion started at 10:15 a.m.
First Look At UNI
For the first time in 26 years, the USD football program will face Northern Iowa, an established Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse. The two teams will square off Saturday at 4 p.m. in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Panthers, ranked No. 5 in the FCS Coaches Poll, are coming off a 41-17 loss to No. 16 Brigham Young of the Bowl Championship Subdivision — also known as Division I-A. In that game, UNI out-gained BYU 149-77 in rushing yardage and forced four turnovers.
Last year, Northern Iowa finished the regular season 11-0 and held a No. 1 national ranking for six straight weeks. The Panthers have won four Missouri Valley Football Conference titles this decade (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007).
In the last meeting between the Coyotes and Panthers, back in 1982, UNI came away with a 41-24 win.
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