BOX SCORE
MARSHALL, Minn. - No. 3 Southwest Minnesota State totaled a .459 hitting percentage compared to Augustana's .191 to roll past the Vikings 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-12) Friday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference volleyball.
Grace Sanders led the Vikings in digs with 10, while Brianna Erikson and
Jordan Spatenka both had eight kills.
Dani Haley handed out 26 assists.
The Vikings struggled during the opening set against SMSU, making too many errors. Augustana totaled seven errors during the set, while SMSU was almost flawless with only one. The score remained tight throughout the beginning of the set but the Mustangs pulled ahead and closed out the set 25-17 after a knot in the score at 10-10.
The Mustangs continued on into the next set at full speed, winning the first five points behind the serve of SMSU's Rachel Westby. However, Augustana was able to close the gap in the score at 11-10, but would never take the lead. The Mustangs offense continued to be a powerhouse, totaling 19 kills for the set, while the Vikings had eight.
The third set began with a kill from
Lindsey Petersen. The Vikings continued in offensive strength to gain a short lived 7-6 lead over the Mustangs. At 7-7 SMSU won four straight points to gain a lead that Augustana was never able to catch up to. The Mustangs topped the set 25-12.
Augustana wasn't able to match up the Mustangs offensively. SMSU totaled 51 kills, while the Vikings were held to 32.
Saturday Augustana will travel to Mankato, Minnesota to face No. 16 Minnesota State for a 3 p.m. match.
