For the second consecutive season, the Augustana volleyball team finished third at the prestigious Colorado Premier Challenge. The 15th-ranked Vikings lost their semifinal match to No. 10 Florida Southern 3-0 before bouncing back to defeat No. 6 West Texas A&M 3-1 in the third-place match Saturday night in Denver, Colo.
The Vikings (7-1) was swept by Florida Southern by scores of 26-24, 25-17, 25-19 but they edged West Texas A&M by scores of 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23.
Augustana was led by the tandem of senior Lisa Hoegh and sophomore Beth Talcott, who were named to the All-Tournament Team. It is the second year in a row Hoegh has earned a spot on the team.
Against Florida Southern, the Vikings mananged just a .110 attack percentage as they had 33 kills and 22 attack errors. Cayla Schroeder led Augie with 7 kills. Meanwhile, Hoegh had 26 assists, 7 digs and 3 kills. Brianna Erickson recorded a team-high 12 digs.
But against West Texas A&M, the Viking offense was more effective. Kati Newgard pounded 16 kills to go along with 4 blocks. Schroeder added 14 kills and Talcott chipped in with 11.
Hoegh finished the match with 48 assists, 3 blocks and 2 aces. Talcott, meanwhile had a team-high 19 digs to register the double-double. Regan Tekavec added 17 digs.
Augustana will be on the road again next week as the Vikings travel to St. Paul, Minn., to participate in the Concordia University Radisson-Roseville Tournament.
