JACKS OUTLAST HORNETS TO WIN SEASON OPENER

Friday, August 28

Malibu, Calif.

3 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

1-0,0-0Summit League

Sacramento State

0-1,0-0Big West

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
South Dakota St.	25	19	25	14	15	3
Sacramento St.	22	25	21	25	7	2

A volleyball player in blue smiles after a point during a match.

Photo by: Austin Senger

8/28/2026 7:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. - The Jackrabbits started their season out on the right foot on Friday as they took down the Hornets of Sacramento State, 3-2, during their first match at the Asics Classic.

The reigning Summit League Player of the Year, Sylvie Zgonc, led the way for the Jacks, tallying 23 kills on 42 attacks, hitting .452 on the day. Hannah Klein added 13 kills of her own, while newcomers Claire Logeais and Marisa Michaelis added five and eight of their own, respectively.

Brooke Larsen became a talking point after subbing in during Set 3. The sophomore from Council Bluffs, Iowa, added five kills and two block assists and 15 assists, making a big impact in the later sets.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1: Sylvie Zgonc and Hannah Klein paced the Jacks, combining for 12 kills in the first set. Klein helped the Jacks with five early kills, giving them an 11-8 lead before Sacramento State rallied to take a 15-14 lead. Zgonc found her footing late in the set, racking up four late kills to help propel the Jacks into a 23-20 lead. A Taylor Byl kill and a service error by the Hornets finished the set with the Jacks on top, 25-22.

Set 2: Sacramento State fought back in set two. The Hornets jumped out to a 10-6 lead early in the set before Hannah Klein dropped in two aces and set the Jacks on a 6-0 run to take a 12-10 lead and force a Hornet timeout. After the timeout, the Hornets would fight back with four consecutive kills, including two by Charlee Lepp, who would finish the match with nine kills. The two teams would exchange points until the score was 19-19. The Hornets finished off the set with a 6-0 run to even the score at one apiece.

Set 3: The Jacks got back out on the front foot during the third set. After going down, 9-5, early in the set, SDSU slowly rallied back behind their kills leader, Zgonc. Consecutive kills by Zgonc and Michaelis put the Jackrabbits in the driver's seat as they stormed back to take a 14-12 lead. The Jackrabbits didn't look back from there and finished out the set on Zgonc's 17th kill of the day to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set 4: Once again the Hornets rallied back in set four. The two teams traded points to get the score to 7-7, but from there the Hornets put together multiple four- and three-point runs to outpace the Jacks and tie the match at 2-2 with a score of 25-14.

Set 5: The Jacks came out in the fifth set with their hair on fire. After trading the opening two passages of play, the Jacks went on a 4-0 run, before adding another 4-0 run highlighted by kills by Hannah Klein, Sylvie Zgonc, Hannah Mlsna, and Brooke Larsen. Zgonc added two more kills to her total before Klein secured the match for the Jackrabbits with a big swing, taking the fifth set 15-7.

NOTES:

Zgonc had her highest hitting percentage (.452) in a game where she had 20+ kills since August of 2024, when she hit .548 and had 25 kills against Florida A&M
Brooke Larsen set a new career high for kills with five, while doubling her total blocks from last season with two.
Joslyn Richardson led the team in digs with 14.
Rylee Martin led the team in assists with 32.
Hannah Mlsna went 3 for 4 on attacks in her collegiate debut.