SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Augustana volleyball team defeated the Marauders of UMary in three sets (26-24, 25-20, 25-18) in the Elmen Center on Saturday night. 

The Vikings move to a 15-6 record with a 7-6 record in NSIC play. The Marauders have fallen to a 3-18 record and are 2-11 in the loop.

The Vikings opened the match with a kill hammered home by senior Kia Kriener making her presence in the match known early. Kriener accumulated three kills in set one hitting an efficient .375 attack percentage. UMary stayed fighting throughout the set taking off with the lead and holding off the Vikings within inches. The Vikings fought back with a 6-2 run late in the set to pull away with the lead. In a set of eight ties and five lead changes, it was a back-and-forth brawl until AU came out victorious. A final ace by senior Avery Thorson sent AU home with its first set win of the night.  

The momentum continued for the Vikings into set two. Kriener kept up with the pace by opening the set with another kill tallying onto the 10 kills she had on the night. Aiding Kriener at the net was senior Maddy Guetter with six kills alone in set one. A mid-set kill from Guetter sparked energy in the Vikings to pull away with the lead. A final kill delivered by sophomore Jolie Stecher sealed the deal and sent AU home with their second set win of the night. 

Augustana made its presence known early in the third and final set running away with the lead. The Vikings saw highlights in Stecher who delivered two back-to-back aces mid-set to bring a five point advantage over the Marauders. The Vikings exploited Marauder attack errors in the third set while hammering home 17 kills compared to UMary's 11. A final Marauder attack error brought AU to its final set and match point of the night. Stecher followed in pursuit of set two by finishing the match with a final kill.

Overall, Augustana recorded 43 kills and had 13 aces compared to the Marauder 30 kills and three aces. Guetter led the way for the Vikings with 16 kills, four aces and 20.5 points. Kriener followed closely behind with 10 kills completed out of 25 attempts reigning in an impressive .360 attack percentage on the night. 

On the defensive side, senior Erika Bute rallied home 14 digs with a perfect 1.000 reception on the night while adding on an ace of her own. Senior Piper Asche led the way for the Vikings in blocks totalling four on the night while adding two kills.

Quotable
"Proud of the team this weekend, we worked hard and communicated well on the court," said head coach Jen Jacobs. "We are looking forward to hosting SMSU this Thursday."

Up Next
The Vikings split the weekend by hosting the No. 7 Mustangs of SMSU on Thursday in the Elmen Center at 6 p.m., then traveling across town to face Sioux Falls Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

--GoAugie.com--