MARSHALL, Minn. – No. 21 Augustana College volleyball (10-2, 3-1 NSIC) erased a two set deficit to defeat No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State (7-5, 2-2 NSIC) 3-2 (20-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-9) in a top-25 matchup in Marshall, Minn. on Tuesday night.

Courtney Ysker led Augustana with her seventh double-double of the season recording 18 kills and 14 digs. The Windom, Minn. native is now just 40 kills shy of joining the 1,000-kill club at Augustana.

Ashley Wilson followed Ysker's standout performance tallying 13 kills, while Tahlyr Banks led the Vikings with 17 digs

Setter's Marissa Johnson and Anna Sykora combined for a total of 48 assists.

Southwest Minnesota State jumped out to a 4-1 lead early in the first set but the Vikings battled back to get within one at 7-6 after a kill by Koch. The Mustangs answered by going on a four-point run to extend their lead to five at 11-6.
 
The Vikings then went on a run of their own, taking five of the next six points to get within one at 12-11 but the Mustangs were able to pull way to take the first set 25-20.
 
Augustana and SMSU traded points early in the second set, splitting the first 16 points of the set to an 8-8 tie. The Mustangs rallied to gain an eight-point lead and never lost it taking the second set 25-16.
 
The Vikings came out of the intermission determined to force a fourth game and they were successful, winning the third 25-22. Neither team led by more than three points in the set, and the Vikings fought their way back into the match hitting .370 in the third.
 
Augustana carried the momentum into the fourth set where the Vikings won another back-and-forth affair. Augustana built a 13-9 lead but SMSU wouldn't go away quietly as they tied the match at 15 and eventually took a 17-16 lead. The two teams would play to four more ties in the set before the Vikings scored the final two points to win the fourth 25-23.

The Vikings jumped out to a 4-1 lead early in the fifth set and never looked back. A block from Finley would push Augustana ahead 8-3, but just the same as earlier sets, SMSU got three straight points to get within two at 8-6. The Vikings continued to pull away and went on to get the 15-9 victory in the final set.

The Vikings will continue conference play this Friday and Saturday at the Elmen Center taking on second-ranked Minnesota Duluth on Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming St. Cloud State at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday to close-out Viking Days.