Madison Harms is Summit League Player of the Year

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.— Madison Harms is Summit League Player of the Year, Kylen Sealock is first-team all-Summit, and Avery Van Hook joins the all-freshman team announced Saturday.

“I am so proud of Madison, Kylen, and Avery,” said head coach Leanne Williamson. They are very much a big part of this team’s success this year. They have committed to helping make this team the best it can be, and the team has done that in return. These three have given a lot to become the best version of themselves, and I am proud of them for their accomplishments!”

Harms was named the Summit League Player of the Year for the first time in her career. She led the league throughout the season in hitting percentage (.375) and total blocks (134) and earned offensive peak performer of the week honors twice.

The fifth-year senior recorded her 1,000th career kill in a South Dakota match against Omaha on Sept. 23, becoming the 12th Coyote in program history to join the 1,000-kill club. On Oct. 12, Harms recorded her 600th career block in USD’s sweep of St. Thomas. She is just the second Summit League player to record 600 career blocks and is just four blocks away from owning the all-time career blocks record for the Summit League.

“I am so thrilled that Madison has been awarded player of the year,” said Williamson. “Madison has proven consistently throughout this season how effective she is as both an attacker and blocker. As an attacker, she is so disciplined and knows how to score in many different situations, even when teams are keying in on her. As a blocker, she helps to anchor the defense that is at the top of the league in opponent-hitting percentage.

“Something that makes this award so special is how great of a teammate and leader she is. She plays the game at a high level, but also puts the team first. She has worked so hard to be the best player she can be, and I am thrilled that the hard work has paid off!”

Sealock joins the 12-person all-Summit team for the first time in her career. She is currently the reigning Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week after earning the honor for the first time in her career. She tallied a career-high 21 kills in South Dakota’s five-set reverse sweep over SDSU on Nov. 14 to help the Yotes secure a share of their fourth regular season title. She has 387 kills on the year, nine double-doubles, and 21 double-digit kill matches.

“Kylen stepped into a large role this season for our program,” said Williamson. “As a six-rotation outside, we are asking her to play the entire game at a high level consistently. I am so proud of how she handled this year and the workload. She has shown that she has the ability to score the ball against anyone both in the system and out of the system which is really important for our success.”

Van Hook is one of seven to make the all-freshman team after earning the starting setter role at the beginning of the season. The Marion, Iowa, native has dished out 837 assists already this season and averaged 8.81 assists per match. She put up a career-high 58 assists in South Dakota’s second reverse sweep of SDSU on Nov. 14 and had three 50+ assist matches this season. The freshman has also totaled 78 kills and 230 digs so far this year.

“Avery has had a great impact on our program as a freshman,” said Williamson. “She runs a great offense and has done a great job of playing the whole game at a high level. I am so happy that she was recognized as one of the best freshmen in the large group of talented players within the league.”

South Dakota is hosting the Summit League Tournament after earning the 2022 regular season title. The Coyotes are the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 NDSU in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 5 p.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.