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The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Coyote women look to build on postseason run in Eighmey's third year
- Story byThe Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
- Coyote women look to build on postseason run in Eighmey's third year
Nov. 1—VERMILLION, S.D. — Year 3 of the Carrie Eighmey coaching era at the University of South Dakota comes armed with knowledge about the Summit League and a deep roster for the Coyote women's basketball team.
It also comes off a successful 26-win season in 2025-26 that saw USD stand as one of the final four teams in last season's WNIT tournament.
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Heading into a new season, the expectations are that the Coyotes return as a tough team to play with strong defense and a well-rounded scoring attack.
Eighmey said she expects one of the key features of the team to be USD's depth. The Coyotes open the season on Monday night hosting NAIA opponent York (Neb.) in Vermillion.
Eighmey is 37-30 in two seasons coaching the Coyotes but last season was a major step forward, including a win in the regular season over archrival and eventual Summit League champion South Dakota State.
"It's focusing on really getting better every single day, making sure that we're playing up to the standard, the expectation that we have for our program. ... You've got to be successful in your league in particular," Eighmey said. "We had a game against South Dakota State last year at home, where we were able to have some great success. Those are going to be the same challenges that we face again this year. I think that game was helpful for our team to be able to see and understand that they can compete with the best in the league."
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USD was successful in part last season because of impactful transfers, which includes Molly Joyce back for another season. Jenna Hopp — a past transfer herself from SDSU — started 30 games last season and is back for her senior season, scoring 6.5 points per game last season.
This season, the Coyotes added four transfers, all of them who have extensive D-I playing experience.
Bri Robinson played three seasons at Northern Iowa and is expected to play point guard for the Coyotes, while Latazia Williamson previously played at Kennesaw State and Memphis and plays the forward position. Both of them averaged nearly 9 points per game last season.
Also joining the Coyote roster is junior forward Ava Miller, who transferred from North Dakota after averaging nearly 8 points and 7 rebounds per game as a regular starter for the Fighting Hawks. Gabby Jackson, a sophomore forward, started 19 games for North Alabama last season and led her team in rebounding.
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Joyce, the Algona, Iowa native who transferred into the program from Division II Truman State, called last season the most fun she's had playing basketball. She averaged nearly 13 points per game for the Coyotes.
"I just love the people here, I love the coaches," Joyce said. "I think they challenged me in ways that I've never been challenged and that's where that growth came from. They made me better on and off the court and then also my teammates. It's just such a good culture here and I don't think anything can take away from that."
Williamson said she was able to witness USD's WNIT run a season ago, which included wins over Northern Colorado, Pepperdine and Montana State before falling to Illinois State.
"I just saw that it was a great environment to come in and make an impact, so definitely the run last year helped in that regard," Williamson said. "I don't like to lose."
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"It was a big deal," Eighmey added. "I mean, it's such a good, fun experience, and I think like Tazia, she saw that and wanted to be a part of a winning program, so I think that was really helpful."
Sophomore forward Tori Schlagel played in every game as a freshman last season and figures to have a larger role this season after 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Alex Flattery, a junior guard, played in 17 games before suffering a season-ending injury, while Katy Reyerson was a Northern Iowa transfer two seasons ago and is bouncing back from an injury, as well.
The first D-I opponent for the Coyotes is the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Friday in a matinee Vermillion and USD plays Creighton on Nov. 11 at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls. The non-conference schedule also includes hosting Drake on Dec. 15 and a road trip to Boise State on Dec. 31.
A year ago, USD had back-to-back game-winning shots on a road trip at Kansas State and Idaho State that Eighmey looked back on as being galvanizing for her team early in the season.
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"I thought that really brought our team together from a chemistry standpoint and trusting each other and really believing that we had had something special and that we could have a great season," Eighmey said.
