Volleyball Game Preview: Lincoln Patriots vs. Yankton Bucks/Gazelles + How To Watch

Lincoln is 9-1 against Yankton since October of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Patriots will host the Bucks/Gazelles at 6:30 p.m. Lincoln will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.

Lincoln is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of South Dakota's top teams: Stevens, who was ranked 13th at the time (Lincoln was ranked eighth). The Patriots put the hurt on the Raiders with a sharp 3-0 victory on Saturday.

The match came down to the wire multiple times:two sets needed extra rallies to declare a winner. The final score came out to 30-28, 25-20, 26-24.

Hayden Kok

Serving Aces

11/08/25 vs Stevens	2
11/07/25 vs Rapid City Central	3
10/28/25 @ Roosevelt	2

Lincoln had a senior duo take command as Julia Blom had 18 digs and three aces and Hayden Kok had nine digs and two aces. Kok has been hot recently, having posted two or more aces the last three times she's played.

Lincoln was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 11 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in 11 consecutive contests.

The home team had won the previous five meetings between Yankton and Brookings, and Yankton kept the tradition alive. The Bucks/Gazelles walked away with a 3-1 win over the Bobcats on Tuesday.

Yankton had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23.

Yankton's victory bumped their record up to 11-15. As for Lincoln, their win bumped their record up to 18-5.

Lincoln took their victory against Yankton in their previous matchup back in September by a conclusive 3-0 score. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Bucks/Gazelles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.