Box Score
Augustana overcame a 2-1 deficit to defeat Wayne State in five sets by scores of 25-20, 19-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-7 in a battle of nationally-ranked teams Tuesday night at the Elmen Center.
The 22nd-ranked Vikings improved to 21-10 overall and 13-5 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference while the 23rd-ranked Wildcats slipped to 22-8 overall and 11-7 in the NSIC.
The close match was a mirror image of the match played in Wayne, Neb., on September 27. In that match, Augustana held a 2-1 set advantage only to see Wayne State rally to capture the final two sets.
After the teams split the first two sets of the match, Wayne State got off to a great start in the third set. The Wildcats opened a 13-5 lead and appeared poised to cruise to an easy win. But Augustana clawed its way back into the set and eventually tied the score at 22-22 on a kill by
Alex Burke.
However, Wayne State called a timeout to stop the momentum. After the break, WSC quickly rattled off three-straight points to claim the set 25-22.
Despite dropping the set, Augustana righted its ship. In the fourth set, the score was tied 10-10 when Augustana scored 4 unanswered points to take a 14-10 lead. After WSC managed to pull within 2 points at 15-13, the Vikings went on an 8-1 run, including 6 straight points, to take command of the set at 23-14.
Augustana didn't let up in the fifth set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. The Vikings scored 4 straight points on 3 kills by
Beth Talcott and another by
Ellen Andrews. The Wildcats got no closer than 5 points the rest of the set.
Over the final 2 sets, Augustana's offense took over. The Vikings pounded 24 kills and had just 8 errors in the fourth and fifth sets, while WSC had 15 kills and 12 errors.
Andrews led 5 Vikings in double figures in kills with a season-high 19 kills. Burke chipped in with a career-high 12 kills, while
Cayla Schroeder and
Kati Newgard also had a dozen kills. Talcott rounded out the group with 11 kills.
The Vikings defense was equally strong, collecting 108 digs and 10 blocks. Schroeder anchored the back row with a season-high 30 digs, while
Brianna Erickson added 18. Talcott and libero
Jenna Hultgren had 17 digs apiece. Schroeder was also a force at net with a team-high and career-high 7 blocks. Burke was next with a career-high 6 blocks.
Lisa Hoegh added 62 assists.
For Wayne State, Danielle Wessel and Mindy Moody had a team-high 13 kills while Lea Hartigan added 12. Moody was also involved in 7 blocks. Meanwhile, Meredy Dubbs collected a team-high 26 digs, while Brittany Van Beek had 24.
Augustana closes out the weekend and the regular season with a pair of home matches. On Friday, the Vikings entertain Minnesota State Moorhead in a 7 p.m. battle before entertaining Minnesota, Crookston on Saturday at 4 p.m. Both matches will be played in the Elmen Center.
