MARSHALL, Minn. -- The Augustana volleyball team opened up play in the Northern Sun Conference on Thursday night and although it certainly wasn't the result the Vikings hoped for, there are plenty of positives for Augustana to build on. Ultimately, No. 7 SMSU was too much on the evening sweeping the Vikings with 25-20, 29-27, and 25-12 set wins.
 
Head Coach Jen Jacobs was disappointed in the result, but pleased with how her team competed for three sets. "I thought we executed well nine times out of ten tonight," Jacobs said. "We had them on the ropes and didn't finish all the way. I'm proud of how hard they competed tonight against a DII top-10 team." The Vikings drop to 5-4 (0-1 NSIC), and SMSU improves to 6-3 (1-0) on the year.
 
The night started on a rather difficult foot for the Vikings as SMSU jumped out to an early 11-4 lead. The Vikings did all they could to answer, including a big kill from Courtney Place. Avery Thorson followed with an ace, and after a kill from Abby Benson, it was just a 19-21 deficit. However, SMSU went back to their three-time All-American Taylor Reiss who buried a couple of big points and helped the Mustangs to a 25-20 set win.
 
The Vikings stepped up in the second set and were tied with SMSU at 12 early on. Thorson found Place for a couple more points and helped push the set past 25, but the Mustang's Sarina Smith found the set-winner as SMSU took set two, 29-27. Statistically, Place led the Vikings with 15 kills, followed by Izzy Sommers with 5.
 
Augustana did out-block the Mustangs 8-3, including a match-high five from Benson. Thorson led the Vikings with 22 assists.
 
Reiss and the Mustangs flexed their muscle in the third set as they rolled to a 25-12 win. Reiss paced the Mustangs with a match-high 25 kills and hit .449. As a team, the Vikings hit just .162, compared to .402 for SMSU.
 
The Vikings return home this Saturday, Sept. 8th for their NSIC home opener against cross-town rival the University of Sioux Falls. The whistle is set for 5 p.m. at the Elmen Center. "We can't wait to be back home in front of our amazing crowd!" Jacobs said. Fans attending Saturday's home-opening football game can receive $5 admission to the volleyball match with your football ticket in-hand. Anyone interested in more information on tickets and scheduling can visit here.