BOX SCORE FAYETTE, Iowa – For the second consecutive evening, Augustana won the first set, but lost the match in four, this time to Upper Iowa, 26-24, 21-25, 21-25, 22-25. The Vikings' record falls to 17-12 overall, 11-9 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition while the Peacocks improve to 16-13 overall, 10-10 in NSIC play.
Holly Hafemeyer and
Megan Bezdicek paced the Vikings offense early and finished with 18 and 15 kills, respectively.
Katie Niesen had a career night, dishing out 53 set assists for the Vikings' 61 kills. The Vikings hit seven more kills than Upper Iowa, but the Peacocks held a .250 attack percentage compared to the Vikings' .170 on the night.
The first set was a game of runs with Augustana taking an early lead then Upper Iowa battling back with six straight points to get within one point. The Vikings built another lead before surrendering a four-point run, tying the set at 16-16. Despite all the comeback attempts, the Vikings never faced a deficit, just four tie scores; including a 24-24 ties when the pesky Peacocks wouldn't go away. Augustana then took the next two points and won 26-24. Bezdicek and Hafemeyer each smashed six kills, keeping the Vikings in the set.
After a 12-12 tie in the second set, Upper Iowa went on a 6-0 run and created a distance that proved to be enough to advance to a second set victory 25-21. Through two sets, Augustana allowed the Peacocks to hit a .312 attack percentage, giving up 30 kills and forcing just six errors. Bezdicek seemed to be the only source of life for the Vikings offense, adding five more kills to her total.
A 6-1 run gave the Vikings a brief lead over the Peacocks, but Upper Iowa clawed back and tied the third set at 13-13. Five straight Upper Iowa points by the Peacocks gave them a solid cushion to close out the third set 25-21.
Jordan Spatenka came off the bench with five kills to try and keep the Vikings afloat in the third.
The Peacocks raced to a 7-1 fourth set lead and coasted to finish off the Vikings 25-22 and take the match 3-1. Vikings battled to cut the deficit to three at 21-18, but the momentum was not in their favor and the Peacocks took the set with the help of a couple Augustana errors.
Grace Sanders scooped up 23 digs, with
Kayla Wallerich tallying 16 digs, and
Taylor Hrdlichka reached double digits in kills with 11.
The Vikings have secured a spot in the NSIC tournament next weekend, but their opponent and the host school has yet to be determined.
