Devin Trefz had 12 kills to lead North Dakota to a 25-12, 25-19, 25-19 over The University of South Dakota in the semifinals of the Great West Conference Volleyball Championship Friday night in Houston, Texas.

The loss ended the season for the Coyotes, who finished 13-17.

USD ,which had beaten Texas-Pan American in five sets earlier in the day to reach the semifinals, hit just -.011 in the semifinal match against the top-seeded Sioux.

Kristen Kritenbrink (Jr., Gretna, Neb.) had nine kills to lead USD, while Bailey Reshel (Fr., Hortonville, Wis.) added four. Jenna Hatfield (Sr., Norfolk, Neb.) had three kills.

North Dakota jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the opening set and went on a key 6-0 run to build a 16-6 lead. USD got as close as 20-11 after a Reshel kill but North Dakota finished a 25-12 win.

The Coyotes got off to a strong start in the second set, taking a 6-4 lead after a block by Kritenbrink and Hatfield. North Dakota answered with a 9-4 run to take a 15-8 lead.

USD was within 21-16 after a Kritenbrink kill but got no closer as North Dakota recorded a 25-19 win.

The Coyotes looked to get rolling in third set but trailed the entire way. USD was as close as 20-16 after a Reshel kill, but UND pulled away to record a 25-19 win.

Gina Baldwin (Sr., Mitchell, S.D.) had 14 set assists and seven digs for USD. Hatfield had four block assists and solo block. Kim Bulaga (Fr., Crystal Lake, Ill.), Mallory Mork (Fr., Sac City, Iowa) and Steph Kroeze (Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) had four digs each.

Quarterfinal
USD 3, Texas-Pan American 2
In a hard-fought seesaw battle USD survived to record a 25-21, 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-12 win over Texas-Pan American in the opening round of the Great West Conference Championship Friday morning in Houston, Texas.

USD was led by junior Kritenbrink, who had 26 kills, just two short of her career high. Hatfield added 10 kills, hitting .368 for the match, while Reshel added nine kills. Bulaga had seven kills and hit .357, while Tahnee Reed (So., Pierce, Neb.) added seven kills, hitting .500 for the match. Baldwin added a match-high 52 set assists for USD.

The Coyotes broke open a close first set with a key run late. USD trailed 17-16 before it went on a 5-0 spurt to take a 21-17 lead. Kritenbrink had two kills during that stretch, while Reed had two service aces.

UTPA never got closer than three the rest of the set as a Bulaga kill finished off a 25-21 win for the Coyotes.

The second set was close from the start, with USD battling back from a 19-17 deficit to tie the score at 21-21. However, the Broncs were able to finish off a 25-23 when on a kill by Rita Gonzalez.

USD rebounded with an impressive third set. The Coyotes trailed 5-4 at one point before going on a 6-0 run, keyed by a service ace by Mallory Mork (Fr., Sac City, Iowa) and the blocking of Bulaga and Reed, who teamed up for three blocks during that stretch.

UTPA cut the gap to 15-12 before a three-point run pushed the Coyote lead to 18-12. Reshel and Kritenbrink had kills during that stretch.

USD was never threatened after that, recording a 25-18 win and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Coyotes were in position to win the match in four sets but were unable to finish things off. They led 21-15 at one point before UTPA rallied with a 7-1 run to tie the set at 22-22. USD led 23-22 after a Kritenbrink kill, but Marci Logan had two kills as part of three straight UTPA points to push the Broncs to a 25-23 win.

That set up a decisive fifth set that was competitive from start to finish. There were eight ties in the set, including a tie at 10-10.

USD took a 12-10 lead after a block by Hatfield and Reshel and a UTPA error. UTPA tied the set at 12-12, but the Coyotes slammed the door as Kritenbrink recorded back-to-back kills, while Bulaga had a kill, to conclude a 15-12 win.

Baldwin led USD with 16 digs, while Mork had 12 and Bulaga and Kritenbrink 10 each. Reed had four service aces, while Reshel and Mork had two each. Reed finished with five block assists while Bulaga had four and Reed and Hatfield had three apiece.

Courtesy: USD Sports Information.