BOX SCORE SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – After dropping the first two sets, the ninth-ranked Augustana volleyball team battled back to force a set-five with top-ranked Southwest Minnesota State, but ultimately dropped their NSIC conference opener inside an electric Elmen Center Thursday night.

Senior Alex Banker and junior Courtney Place each had double-doubles for the Vikings. Banker racked up 49 assists and 10 digs while Place rocketed 14 kills to go along with 14 digs.

Ashley Wilson tallied a team-best 16 kills on the night while hitting .500. Senior libero Tahlyr Banks' 27 digs led the match.
Battling back from an 8-12 set-three deficit, the Vikings (8-2, 0-1), fought back with help from kills from Place and Wilson. Augustana knotted set-three up at 13 and never looked back. The Vikings went on a 5-0 run sparked by a service errors from Mustangs (9-0, 1-0) Emma Thomssen and Brook Borchardt. Augustana won set three 25-20.

The Vikings came out firing in set four. Kills by redshirt freshman Payton Rosendahl and senior Bailey Koch, the Vikings took a quick 2-0 lead. Back-to-back kills by Rosendahl gave Augustana a 6-3 lead and forced a quick SMSU timeout.

Out of the timeout, a kill by junior Lauren Waite, Wilson and Banker, the Vikings were firing on all cylinders and forced another Mustangs timeout, holding a 10-4 lead. A kill from Wilson forced the fifth set.

Finding themselves down 5-0 early, Augustana battled back to just a 9-8 deficit, but that was the closest they got, as SMSU went on a 4-0 run and closed out the match with a 15-9 set five win.  

Both Taylor Reiss (23) and Kaylee Burmeister (21) had over 20 kills on the night for the Mustangs. Megan Larson added 58 assists.

The Vikings return to action Saturday, when the face crosstown rival Sioux Falls at the Stewart Center at 3 p.m.