Tahnee Reed

VERMILLION, S.D. -- Drake spoiled the home finale for The University of South Dakota volleyball team Monday night, defeating the Coyotes, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-14 in nonconference action in Vermillion, S.D.

Emily Madden hit .444 and had 17 kills for Drake (19-8), which avenged an early-season five-set loss to USD (12-15).

The Coyotes were led by an outstanding match from Tahnee Reed (So., Pierce, Neb.), who had 15 kills and hit .406 for the match. Kristen Kritenbrink (Jr., Gretna, Neb.) added 13 kills, while Bailey Reshel (Fr., Hortonville, Wis.) added 11. Gina Baldwin (Sr., Mitchell, S.D.) had 45 assists for the Coyotes.

USD started off strong with a solid opening set.

The Coyotes took an early 8-3 lead after a Kritenbrink ace.

Drake fought back to within 20-19, but USD answered as Kim Bulaga (Fr., Crystal Lake, Ill.) and Reed put down back-to-back kills to put USD up 22-19. Drake got no closer than two, and USD won the set 25-22 after a Bulldog hitting error.

Reed had a huge first set with six kills and a .667 hitting percentage. Jenna Hatfield (Sr., Norfolk, Neb.) had four kills in the opening set, hitting .429.

USD couldn’t sustain the momentum in the second set, however, as the Bulldogs built a 14-5 lead. That lead later grew to 20-10 before USD began cutting into the deficit. The Coyotes were within 24-18 after back-to-back Kritenbrink kills but got no closer as an USD error ended a 25-18 second-set win for Drake.

The Coyotes rebounded with better play in the third set, which was tied a 7-7 before USD went on a 5-1 run to build a 12-8 lead. Kritenbrink and Reed had kills during that stretch for the Coyotes.

The set stayed close the rest of the way and was tied at 18-18 before Drake scored two straight points to take a 20-18 lead. USD got as close as 21-20 after a Reshel kill but got no closer as Drake went on to take a 25-21 win.

Drake started fast in the fourth set, building a 10-3 lead. USD fought back to within 13-10 with a 5-0 run, which included three Kritenbrink kills.

However, Drake answered with a 4-0 run of its own to build a 17-10 advantage, and the Bulldogs went on to earn a 25-14 win to secure the four-set win.

Mallory Mork (Fr., Sac City, Iowa) and Kritenbrink had 17 digs each for USD. Bulaga finished with eight kills while Hatfield had five. Reed had two service aces and also led with two block assists.

The Coyotes conclude the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 14 at North Dakota. The match will begin at 1 p.m. in Grand Forks, N.D.

Notes: Baldwin and Hatfield were honored prior to the match as part of Senior Day activities…USD finished the season with a 6-5 mark at the DakotaDome…Stephanie Kroeze (Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) had a career-high seven digs for USD.