MACOMB, Ill. The South Dakota State volleyball team continued its hot start to the season as the Jackrabbits swept their three games in the Leatherneck Classic hosted by Western Illinois.
The Jackrabbits beat the tournament host in five sets and then swept UIC on Friday. They followed that up with a four-set victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday.
SDSUs six-game win streak to start the season is the longest win streak to start a season in the Division I era.
Friday
SDSU 3, Western Illinois 2
Three Jackrabbits put up career numbers on the day. Sophomore Reilly Martin dished 58 assists in the opener against WIU, setting a new career high. That assist mark is the most in a single match by a Jackrabbit since the 2021 season. Freshman Madison Burr tallied 14 kills and took part in six block assists against the Leathernecks, both of which were career highs. Burr then matched the SDSU three-set record with 10 total blocks and nine block assists against UIC. Alyssa Groves also set new career bests with 13 kills and six blocks (five assists, one solo) in the WIU match.
Martins career outing paced the Jacks in their first match of the weekend. In addition to her 58 assists, Martin tallied 17 digs, three block assists, two kills and two aces against the Leathernecks.
Sylvie Zgonc was one of four Jackrabbits with double-digit kills. She recorded 22 kills to go with 10 digs for her third double-double of the year. Sydni Schetnan added 16 kills, two shy of her career high, while Burr and Groves had 14 and 13, respectively.Joslyn Richardson had 19 digs and five assists.
Set one: Neither team led by more than two until a 4-1 Jackrabbit run made it 10-7. The Leathernecks returned the favor with a 5-1 stretch to take a 12-11 lead. Tied at 19-all, Martin notched an ace for the lead. The Jackrabbits led 23-21, then WIU scored four straight points to win the set.
Set two: A kill from Burr and two Leatherneck errors made the score 9-7 in SDSUs favor. The Jacks led 12-8, then WIU came back to tie it with four straight. A block an another kill by Burr helped SDSU regain the lead at 16-13. Another 4-0 run with two kills and a block by Schetnan made it 22-17 for SDSU. The Jackrabbits had set point at 24-18, then allowed WIU to comeback within 24-23 before Burr tied the match with a kill.
Set three: Schetnan recorded back-to-back kills during a 4-1 start to the third set, then another to make the score 7-4. The Leathernecks worked back to a 13-10 advantage. Zgonc and Schetnan each had a kill and teamed up on a block to tie the set at 13. Down 17-13, SDSU put together a 7-1 run to go back up 21-18. Four different Jackrabbits had at least one kill in the stretch and Alia Schlimgen notched two aces. Meghan Roggenkamp aced the Leathernecks to win the set, 25-21.
Set four: The Jackrabbits jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the fourth, then the Leathernecks came all the way back to tie the set at 14. WIU continued its push and forced a fifth with a 25-19 win.
Set five: Martin dished two assists and put down an ace for a 4-1 start to the tie-break set. Two kills from Groves during a 5-0 run made the score 10-6. Zgonc had the final three kills of the set, all assisted by Martin, to close out the victory.
SDSU 3, UIC 0
SDSUs defense showed out in the second match of the day, recording 18 blocks as a team. That mark is a new program record for a match of any length, not just a three-setter.
Burrs 10 blocks led the way, followed by Annalee Ventling-Brown with six assists and Schetnan with five assists and one solo.
Zgonc notched nine kills and five digs to lead both categories. Katie Van Egdom and Groves added seven kills apiece. Alia Schlimgen also had five digs. Rylee Martin and Camryn Honn gave out 15 and 7 assists, respectively.
Set one: SDSU opened the set with an 8-1 lead behind two aces from Martin and another from Zgonc. Joslyn Richardson notched another ace that made it 13-5 for SDSU. Three straight blocks with Schetnan, Ventling-Brown and Zgonc involved pushed the score to 18-10. Back-to-back kills from Groves put SDSU ahead 21-13. Madison Burr ended set one with a kill.
Set two: A Katie Van Egdom solo block tied the set at 4-4. The teams traded points until a 13-13 tie, then the Jacks scored three straight to take control. A kill by Honn, then a block from Burr and Ventling-Brown made it 18-14. Another Burr and Ventling-Brown block won set two, 25-23.
Set three: A 7-0 run helped the Jacks take an 11-4 lead in the final set. Two straight attack errors by UIC made it 14-8. UIC worked back to tie the set at 17-all with a 9-3 run. The Flames tied the set again at 19, 20 and 22 before two kills by Zgonc helped the Jacks complete the sweep, 25-23.
SDSUs 71 kills against Western Illinois is the teams most in a match since the 2021 season.
Saturday
SDSU 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Sylvie Zgonc recorded her third double-double of the season with 15 kills and 14 blocks on the day, both team highs. She also notched five ace serves, matching her career high.
Zgonc was joined in double figures by Alyssa Groves, who tallied 11 kills at a .444 clip. The graduate student also took part in five blocks. Sydni Schetnan was also in on six rejections and added nine kills at a .400 hitting percentage.
Rylee Martin and Camryn Honn teamed up on the setting duties, dishing 24 and 17 assists, respectively. Honn also had 12 digs.
The Jackrabbits had a 12-5 edge in total blocks and 9-3 edge in aces, which was the difference in the match. PFW had the advantage in kills (59-54), assists (53-48) and digs (73-62).The Mastodons were led by Panna Ratkais 20 kills.
Set one: Schetnan had two blocks and a kill during a 5-2 start. PFW worked back to tie the set at 7-all with a 3-0 run. Tied at 9-9, Zgonc put down a kill for the lead and sparked a 3-0 run for the Jacks. Another 3-0 run capped by a Joslyn Richardson ace made it 18-15 and forced a Mastadon timeout. With the Jackrabbits up 21-19, PFW put together a 5-1 stretch to set up set point. The Jacks got two points back, tying the set at 24, before PWF won it 26-24.
Set two: Annalee Ventling-Brown notched a kill for the lead 8-7 lead in set two, then again to make it 10-8. The sides went back-and-forth until the Jacks won the set with a 9-2 run. Groves had two blocks and two kills during the stretch.
Set three: Three straight service aces from Zgonc gave the Jackrabbits a 6-4 lead in the third set. Neither side led by more than one until the Jacks finally pulled away with a 6-1 run that featured back-to-back kills by Ventling-Brown. The senior had another kill over the final few points of the set and Groves ended it with a kill, 25-20.
Set four: SDSU got off to a 9-2 start in the final set. Madison Burr had a block and then a kill to make it 12-4. Katie Van Egdom had a solo block during a 3-0 run for the 20-13 lead. Purdue Fort Wayne made a late 5-0 push to come back within two, then another 4-0 run to trail by only one at 23-22. Zgonc put down her 15th kill of the night to go up two, then Burr ended the match with an ace.
Up next
South Dakota State travels to Peoria, Illinois, next weekend to take on Eastern Illinois on Friday and Bradley on Saturday.
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