BOX SCORE
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Brianna Erickson, Jordan Spatenka and Lindsey Petersen all recorded double-figure kills for Augustana, but it was not enought for the Vikings to pull off an upset again No. 1 Minnesota Duluth as the Bulldogs completed the 3-2 (25-16, 23-25, 27-25, 25-27, 13-15) win Saturday afternoon in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference volleyball in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Augustana is now 9-7 (5-2 NSIC), while UMD 's record is raised to 15-1 (7-1 NSIC).
Erickson led the Vikings in kills with 14. Spatenka and Petersen recorded 12 and 11, respectively.
Dani Haley had 47 assists, almost topping her record of 50.
Grace Sanders tallied 27 digs.
Brooke Lewko recorded a kill to open the first set against the Bulldogs. The Vikings continued to dominate during the rest of the set, recording 13 kills with no errors. UMD, however, was not flawless, tallying eight errors. Petersen served five straight points to close out the set 25-16.
The Bulldogs shook off their shaky performance in the next set, battling the Vikings closer. UMD took advantage of a slow start by Augustana and jumped to a seven-point lead early on. Despite the deficit, the Vikings continued to inch closer to the Bulldogs, eventually catching up to only trail by one at 19-18. UMD saw three-set points before taking the set 25-23.
Augustana lagged behind UMD again in the third set but was able to catch up quicker this time, tying the score at 14-14. Petersen recorded two kills to push the Vikings ahead but the lead didn't last long. The Bulldogs caught up and put another knot in the score at 17-17. A close battle ensued as the set had another eight ties in the score. UMD had match point at 24-23 but wasn't able to close the set due to a kill from Petersen. Augustana then took charge and won the set 27-25 off an attack error by UMD and a service ace from Petersen.
Neither team was able to gain an early edge in the fourth set. The score continued to bounce back and forth as a total of 18 ties developed during the set. The final tie came at 25-25 from which UMD was able to record two kills to top Augustana. Offensively, both teams were strong. The Vikings totaled 14 kills for the set, while UMD had 18.
The final set remained just as tight as the previous three. Augustana was able to win the initial two points but the lead didn't last as UMD won the next two, tying the score. The next tie came at 3-3 but UMD won the next four points to gain an advantage. The Vikings continued to fight, tying the score two more times but were never able to take the lead. The Bulldogs took the set 15-13.
Augustana bettered UMD in hitting percentage with .234 compared to the Bulldogs' .194.
Augustana's next NSIC contests will be on the road Oct. 8 and 9. The first stop will be in Marshall, Minn., for a 7 p.m. match against Southwest Minnesota State, followed by a trip to Mankato, Minn., to play Minnesota State at 3 p.m.
