BOX SCORE
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -
Brianna Erickson terminated 12 balls to lead Augustana to a rousing 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-2) victory over St. Cloud State Friday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate volleyball in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Vikings improve to 12-13 (8-8 NSIC), while St. Cloud State falls to 12-12 (7-9 NSIC). The win marks the first time this season Augustana has emerged victorious in a five-set contest.
The Vikings orchestrated a 12-1 run in the final set to grab the victory.
Dani Haley handed out 43 assists, while
Grace Sanders dug up 27 balls in the evening.
Posting double-figures along with Erickson was
Jordan Spatenka and
Taylor Hrdlichka tallying 11 and 10, respectively.
The Vikings were able to change the pace of the opening set just in time to clinch the victory after trailing most of the set. The first time Augustana was able to take a lead was off a kill by Erickson, which put the Vikings up 20-19. The Vikings lost the upper hand at 21-20 but went on a five-point run to steal the win.
Augustana fell into a slump in the following set, committing nine errors and only eight kills to hit -.029. At 6-6 SCSU went on a 12-6 run to gain a large enough advantage that the Vikings would never recover. Augustana trailed the remainder of the set and dropped to the Huskies 25-20.
Despite struggling in the previous set, the Vikings were able to come together in the third set to outhit the Huskies .294-.071. The score remained tight during the beginning of the set, but the Vikings went on a run at 12-10 to gain a 17-12 lead over SCSU. A pair of kills from Spatenka and Erickson closed the set 25-18.
The fourth set consisted of another battle between the two teams. Although Augustana led early on in the set, SCSU went on a five-point run behind the serve of Jennifer Waterman to gain a 13-10 lead over the Vikings. The Huskies never lost the lead, committing just two errors during the set. Augustana totaled 13 to lose 25-19.
Augustana made a change for the better in the final set hitting .500 off six kills and no errors. The Vikings held SCSU to a -.250 hitting percentage.
SCSU had 15 blocks during the match; Augustana recorded 11.5.
Join the Vikings on Saturday at 5:30 to celebrate Senior Day with a match against Concordia University, St. Paul.
