SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Augustana volleyball opens its 2022 season in the Dr. Steve "Iceman" Aicinena Invitational in Odessa, Texas, hosted by Texas Permian Basin. The Vikings will face Southeastern Oklahoma State Friday at 11 a.m. Later in the day, the Vikings take on the University of the Southwest (N.M.) at 3 p.m. Augustana opens the final day of the invitational Saturday at 9 a.m. against Eastern New Mexico before facing off against Texas Permian Basin at 1 p.m. to close out the action in Odessa.
Fans can catch the action at GoAugie.com/Live and on the GoAugie app, presented by CellOnly, found in the app store and on Google play.
The Matches
Unfamiliar opponents to the Vikings will be The University of the Southwest and Texas Permian Basin as the schools face each other for the first time in school history. Familiar opponents to Augustana will be the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma which it holds a 2-0 record against with the most previous match up being in 2010. The Vikings also hold a 2-0 record against the Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico who they last played in 2017.
Southeastern Oklahoma State
The Savage Storm returns 6 players from last season in which they went 8-19 during the 2021 campaign. With a 5-11 mark in conference play, they finished seventh in the Great American Conference standings. Southeastern Oklahoma State and Augustana both open each others 2022 schedules.
The Savage Storm added 12 new freshmen this season. They join 6 returners from last season, including Ruthie Forson who earned All-GAC honorable mention. Forson was sixth in the GAC in assists with 9.19 per set in her freshman campaign.
University of the Southwest (N.M.)
The Mustangs went 11-16 during the 2021 campaign. With a 7-5 mark in conference play, the Mustangs finished fourth in the Red River Athletic Conference in the NAIA. A full roster was unavailable at the time of publication.
Eastern New Mexico
The Greyhounds return 13 players from last season in which they went 7-19 during the 2021 campaign. With a 7-10 mark in conference play, the Grizzlies finished 13th in the Lone Star Conference.
Eastern New Mexico added seven new freshmen this season. They join 13 returners from last season, including sophomore opposite hitter Mikaela Garvin who was named the 2021 LSC Volleyball Freshman of the Year. She totaled 213 kills and 60 total blocks in her freshman season.
Texas Permian Basin
The Falcons return 12 players from last season in which they went 17-11 during the 2021 campaign. With a 10-7 mark in conference play, the Falcons finished seventh in the Lone Star Conference.
UT Permian Basin added seven new freshmen this season who join the returners. Included in the 12 returners is senior middle hitter Taurie Magee who earned All-LSC Tournament honors last season. She led the team in blocks with 92 and was second on the team with kills at 247 in 2021.
The Vikings
The Vikings return 11 players from their 2021 roster and add five newcomers. Of the 11 returning student-athletes are four starters: seniors Erika Bute, Maddy Guetter and Avery Thorson, and junior Jolie Stecher.
Bute returns for her fourth season with the Vikings. In her junior season, Bute averaged 4.68 digs per set ranking second in the NSIC and led the team with 538 total digs. Guetter, a fir finished sixth in the NSIC in total kills with 415 on the year, tallied 307 digs and 60 total blocks in her junior season. Stecher returns for her second season following her freshman campaign where she tallied 154 kills and 116 total blocks. Thorson was named the NSIC Player to Watch with more on her below
"We return almost every starter from last year, and where we graduated some key positions, we know we have underclassmen more than ready to step up," Jacobs said in the NSIC Preseason release. "The team ended last year feeling unfinished, so we think we will be playing with a slight chip on our shoulder to prove we are contenders at the highest level. We are looking forward to seeing what we can do."
Who to Watch For
The NSIC named senior setter Avery Thorson as the Vikings 2022 "Player to Watch."
Thorson, a Sioux Falls native, will be entering her fifth season with the Vikings. In her 2021 season, Thorson received All-NSIC Second Team Honors after ranking 34th in the nation with 10.44 assists per set and was ranked second in the NSIC in triple doubles. She recorded a season best of 57 assists against St. Cloud St. and Winona St. while leading the team in assists at 1191.
"When Avery decided to stay an extra season using the COVID waiver, we were overjoyed. She has been a leader on and off the court, and an integral part of this team's growth and success since her freshman year," said Jacobs. "She knows the game inside and out, and she runs our offense smoothly with the ability to manipulate defenses into our game plans. We are excited she's back for another season."
One Last Thing
The Vikings host the Augustana Volleyball Classic at the Sanford Pentagon Sept. 2-3. For more information on the classic, click here.
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