SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Fresh off a sweep on Friday night, the Augustana volleyball team earned a 3-0 win over Bemidji State tonight in the Elmen Center. With the win, the Vikings move to 7-12 (2-9 NSIC) and drops the Beavers to 5-14 (2-9 NSIC).

Head coach Jen Jacobs is happy the team came to play tonight, and now has back-to-back wins over the weekend. "We are so excited," said Jacobs, "We needed these two wins to build our confidence back up."

Augustana totaled 43 kills in the match and hit .223 (43-16-121) as a team. Courtney Place, one of the league's top hitters, paved the way for the Vikings. Place led the match with 21 of the teams 43 kills and hit a .415 clip for the Vikings. She was followed by Sophia Terwilleger with seven, and Izzy Sommers with six. Avery Thorson had 35 assists, one ace and six digs.
The Vikings defense totaled 58 digs in the match. Terwilleger led the Vikings backcourt with 15 digs while Kaylea Ahrens recorded 12, followed by Place with 11. This was the tenth double-double for Place this season.

The Vikings started out hitting .270 in the first set and tallied 14 kills. Six kills from Place and 10 assists from Thorson led the way in the set for the Vikings. The two teams traded points on the scoreboard until the Vikings pushed ahead 23- 20, a kill from Ahrens and an error from the Beavers gave the Vikings the two points needed for a set win.

Augustana started out on a 8-4 run in the second set forcing the Beavers to call a timeout. The next seven points by the Vikings came from three kills from Place, and one a piece from Terwilleger and Sommers. After an ace from Ahrens, and an error on the Beavers, the scoreboard then showed 16-12. The Vikings went on a 9-8 run to close out the set, winning 25-21. The Vikings finished the set with 17 kills, the most in the three sets of the night.

In set three, Augustana jumped out a one point lead before calling a timeout when the scoreboard showed 8-7. The Vikings kept tallying points on the board pushing them to a 25-20 win, giving them their second win of the weekend.

The Vikings return to action Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Wayne State facing the Wildcats at 6 p.m.