Latest news with #JesseSmith
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
SDSU women to play Gonzaga at Pentagon
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (SDSU) — The South Dakota State women's basketball team will take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a nonconference contest November 20 at the Sanford Pentagon. The on-sale date for tickets will be announced later. 'This is a resume-building matchup that is going to stand out on the schedule for both teams,' said Jesse Smith, vice president of operations for Sanford Sports. 'The energy in the Sanford Pentagon always rises when the Jackrabbits play here, and Gonzaga is a national brand with a passionate fan base.' The Jackrabbits won the Summit League Championship last season and received a No. 10 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. SDSU defeated No. 7 seed Oklahoma State 74-68, before falling to eventual national champion Connecticut in the second round. The Jackrabbits are 1-2 all-time at the Sanford Pentagon. 'We are excited to return to the Pentagon next season. The Pentagon is a terrific facility, and the staff provides a first-class experience,' said South Dakota State Head Coach Aaron Johnston. 'Gonzaga has a strong tradition of success and will be a great early-season test for the Jackrabbits.' Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference regular season title for the 20th time last season, finishing with a 24-11 record. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the WBIT Tournament, where they fell to eventual champion Minnesota. The Bulldogs are 1-1 all-time at the Sanford Pentagon. They defeated South Dakota 54-50 and lost to No. 1 South Carolina 79-72 during the 2-day 2020 Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. 'The Sanford Pentagon is a great facility and always puts on high level events,' said Gonzaga Head Coach Lisa Fortier. 'We have a ton of respect for the South Dakota State program and always look forward to playing quality teams in our non-conference schedule. This should be a very fun, early season game.' South Dakota State leads the all-time series 3-1. Their last meeting was on Dec. 17, 2023, an 83-58 victory by the No. 14 Bulldogs. In addition to this meeting with Gonzaga, the Jackrabbits have also announced plans to play at the Cancun Challenge over Thanksgiving. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penn State, the defending national champs, to play in AVCA First Serve Showcase
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Big news from the volleyball court Monday evening. The 2025 AVCA First Serve Showcase will feature a star-studded lineup of 10 Division I women's volleyball teams. They will play in a series of matches at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska and at the Sanford Pentagon. Celebrating 30 years of Siouxland Libraries 'This is a massive event in terms of volleyball in terms of any event for this region,' said Jesse Smith. Jesse Smith is the vice president of Sanford Sports. He says the field for this year's AVCA First Serve Showcase includes five teams that made the elite eight last year, including last year's national champion, Penn State. 'Very very excited to have Penn State be a part of the field it's going to be unlike anything we've ever hosted at the Pentagon,' Smith said. Minnesota will play Texas A&M and Penn State will face Kansas to round out the opening weekend of the volleyball season. 'This is huge, we've never hosted anything like this at the Sanford Pentagon, but in Sioux Falls as well, this is a very huge event for the region,' Sanford Pentagon Events Manager Kiah Damme-Krieger said. The biggest reason the Pentagon is able to host the showcase is because of what it did last year with the Division Two Championship game. 'Our team worked really hard with the AVCA to attract this event developed a relationship with the Division Two national championship, they administer that and our team got familiar with the AVCA we've been trying to recruit a division one high level division one game for many many years and this is the pathway that worked out,' Smith said. Having two regional teams playing in the showcase, both Minnesota and Kansas, means Heritage Court is likely going to be packed. 'I would not wait to get tickets we assume we are going to sell out very quickly, so if you want to be a part of it buy them fast,' Damme-Krieger said. Ticket presales open Thursday for the matches in Lincoln and on March 6th for the matches in Sioux Falls. All tickets will be available to purchase through Ticketmaster. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Professional volleyball is coming to the Pentagon
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A professional volleyball league is heading to the Sanford Sports Complex for the first time ever. Ice racing set to return to Brant Lake The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced the addition of the Sanford Pentagon to the 2025 AVCA First Serve tournament. On Monday, Aug. 25, the AVCA will host a doubleheader at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. 'This will be one of the biggest events we have ever hosted at the Sanford Pentagon as fans will see some the best volleyball teams in the country compete on Heritage Court,' said Jesse Smith, Sanford Sports vice president of operations, in a news release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
