SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-- The Augustana volleyball team (5-8 overall, 2-3 NSIC) closes their three-game road stretch on Tuesday night, heading to Marshall, Minn., for a 6 p.m. matchup against No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State. 

Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play.

The Mustangs
Southwest Minnesota State received 769 points in the AVCA poll, placing them eighth. The Mustangs are 11-2 overall and 4-1 in NSIC play this season after rolling past Minot State and UMary on the road last weekend. SMSU ranks fifth in the country in assists per set and seventh in kills per set, with Alisa Bengen fueling that attack. Bengen ranks ninth in the country with 11.24 assists per set, and is an all-around threat for the Mustangs, collecting 127 digs, 45 kills, 14 aces, and 12 blocks. Freshman Leah Jones leads the team with 123 kills, and McKenzie Tolk ranks 32nd in the country with 5.06 digs per set. 

The Vikings
Augustana earned a signature win over the weekend, hitting the road and knocking off then-No. 10 Minnesota Duluth in a five-set thriller on Friday night as part of a weekend split against top 10 teams. The win is the first ranked road win since Sept. 18, 2021, and the first top-10 road victory for the Vikings since Nov. 15, 2017.

Kia Kriener closed the match as the leader in kills with 17, adding three blocks. Callie Hohenhaus was a force at the net, recording 11 kills and seven blocks, and Maya Wente added 13 kills and three blocks. 

Reagan Jansen finished the night with 10 kills, 14 digs, five aces, and three blocks en route to Player of the Match honors, and Piper Asche had eight kills and just one error to boost the offense. Erika Bute did her thing defensively, recording 27 digs, and Lucy Bartee had 54 assists and a huge solo block to fuel the Vikings. 

On the season, Kriener leads the Vikings with 178 kills, while Jansen follows with 110 kills and 90 digs, both good for second on the team, and also leads the team with 19 aces. Bute leads the team with 271 digs, including 5.42 digs per set.

Also excelling on the front line are Hohenhaus (96 kills, 38 blocks) and Wente (93 kills, 46 blocks).

Bartee has put together an all-around contribution, adding 488 assists, 97 digs, 20 blocks, and 15 aces. Kiylah Franke and Ellie Walker have each produced on the back line, as Franke has tallied 91 digs and 17 aces, while Walker has collected 77 digs and 14 aces. 

One Last Thing
With a kill to open the fourth set in Augustana's five-set victory over UMD, Kia Kriener reached the 500 career kill milestone. She currently leads all active Vikings with 516 kills. 

Erika Bute ranks fifth amongst NCAA DII in active career digs with 1,949. That number ranks 16th among all NCAA levels. 

Looking Ahead
The Vikings return home for a pair of matches against northern Minnesota schools, hosting Minnesota Crookston at 6 p.m., on Friday before welcoming Bemidji State at 5 p.m., on Saturday, with both matches being held inside the Elmen Center.

The Augustana community is invited to the Beer Garden — hosted by JJ's Wine, Spirits & Cigars — at the Elmen Center on for both Friday and Saturday's games. The pub will be available in between the Viking Football and Volleyball matches. Food, such as pulled pork nachos and corn dogs, will be available for purchase in the concession area next to the Beer Garden.