FAYETTE, Iowa -- The Augustana volleyball team fell to No. 18 Upper Iowa 3-0 on Friday night inside Dorman Gym on the campus of Upper Iowa. Augustana falls to 11-5 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC with the loss while Upper Iowa moves to 12-3 and 4-3 in the conference. 

In the first set, the Vikings struggled in the start, but an Abby Benson kill cut the lead to 13-9 to give Augustana some momentum. Unfortunately, the momentum didn't last long as the Peacocks reeled off a 12-4 run to take the first set 25-13.

The second stanza featured a competitive start for both teams as a service error from UIU made the score 6-4 Peacocks. Upper Iowa continued its hot hitting as it had a hitting percentage of 0.343 in the second set after hitting on a 0.41 percent clip in the first frame to take the second set 25-16.  

During the third set, Upper Iowa took control early with a 7-1 run to start the third frame. The Vikings fought back to make the score 12-8 after a kill by freshman Maddy Guetter. Upper Iowa took the third set and the match after a series of runs late in the set, 25-13.

Avery Thorson finished with 23 assists while Maddy Guetter finished with a team-high eight kills. 

As a team, the Vikings recorded 28 kills, 26 assists and 44 digs. 

Up Next
The Vikings will finish up the weekend when they travel to Winona, Minnesota, to take on No. 19 Winona State at 2 p.m.