BISMARCK, N.D. - The Augustana volleyball team opened the weekend on the road, falling to UMary 26-24, 25-22, 25-21 on Friday night. 

The Vikings opened the match scoring seven of the first eight points for an early lead. The Marauders countered quickly, scoring nine of the next 12 points to even the first set at 10-10. The match would stay tight to the end, with the Vikings leading as late as 24-23, but UMary scored four of the final five points to take the first set. 

AU came out in set two with the same fire that started the match, jumping out to a 5-2 lead in the early going. As they did in set one, the Marauders fired back, tearing off a 12-3 run to jump ahead 14-8. The Vikings sailed back, narrowing its deficit to two at 15-13, but UMary fought off AU comebacks the rest of the set to take a 2-0 lead. 

Five of the first seven points in set three went to the Vikings before a 5-0 Marauder run gave them a 7-5 lead. That would tie the largest lead for most of the set, as neither team could fend off the other until a 4-0 UMary run gave them a 23-19 lead, a lead that they would hold to the finish. 

Kia Kriener finished with a team-high 12 kills, also collecting a season-high nine digs. Maya Wente added nine kills and three blocks. Erika Bute led the defense with 19 digs, and Lucy Bartee added 35 assists to pace the offense.  

The Vikings now look forward, traveling to Minot, N.D. for a 10 a.m., match against Minot State.