WINONA, MINN. – The No. 23 Augustana volleyball team defeated the Winona State Warriors in four sets in Winona, Minnesota, on Friday.
The Vikings captured the 20-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-23 victory in four sets over the Warriors to earn their 10th win of the season. Augustana has advanced to a 10-1 record and is 2-1 in NSIC play. Winona State is 4-6 overall and 0-3 in the loop.
Augustana opened set one with a kill by senior Kia Kriener to send the Vikings on a 3-0 run trying to keep up with the Warriors. A mid-set 4-0 run for the Vikings gave Augustana the push to tie up the match at 16 but the Warriors were able to pull ahead with a 4-0 run of their own to secure the lead and the set.
The Vikings changed the rhythm in set two and took off with early strides. Back-to-back kills by Kriener got the momentum rolling while making her presence known at the net. Multiple attack errors from the Warriors sent the Vikings running with the lead. A final 6-1 run by Augustana sent the Vikings cruising to the finish line. A service error from the Warriors reigned home a set two win for the Vikings.
Set three was a back-and-forth brawl where Augustana came out victorious. Sophomore Jolie Stecher took full control of the service line mid-set to go on an acing frenzy with three-straight aces. The lead grew from there for the Vikings with the largest lead of the set being nine for Augustana. A final attack error from Winona State secured Augustana the set three win.
Augustana hit its stride early in set four with a 7-1 run to pull away with the final set. The service line was at the Vikings dispense all evening, a mid-set ace by Guetter led to an early Winona State timeout following the Vikings scoring run. A full throttle kill from senior Kate Reimann sealed the deal for the Vikings reigning home their third and final set win of the evening.
Overall, Augustana recorded 53 kills and had 11 aces compared to the Warriors 40 kills and seven aces. Reimann led Augustana with 15 kills, two aces and 17.5 points on the night. She also tallied a .375 attack percentage, easily a match best. Kriener matched Reimann's kills with 15 and rallied home 16.0 points.
On the defensive side, senior Erika Bute grabbed a team-high 23 digs and two aces to secure the Vikings first win of the weekend. Avery Thorson was her stellar self with 49 assists against zero errors.
Quotable
"Winning on the road in this conference is tough to do," said head coach Jen Jacobs. "I'm proud of the fight our team showed tonight and we're looking forward to being back at it tomorrow at Upper Iowa".
Up Next
The Vikings travel to Fayette, Iowa, to face the Peacocks of Upper Iowa at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
--GoAugie.com--
