SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana volleyball team (8-13 overall, 5-7 NSIC) is back in action with a pair of home games. They open the weekend on Friday night at 7 p.m., welcoming MSU Moorhead to the Sanford Pentagon before returning to the Elmen Center for a 2 p.m., Saturday match against Northern State. 

The match will make it the second-straight season that the Vikings play a regular season game in the Sanford Pentagon. It will also mark the first-ever regular season competition between the Vikings and a conference opponent in the Sanford Pentagon. AU hosted Augustana Volleyball Classic a season ago inside the building, playing to a 4-0 record. 

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 Dragons
MSU Moorhead enters the weekend 7-14 overall and 3-9 in the NSIC after falling to Sioux Falls and Wayne State. MSUM is hitting .176 as a team and averaging 11.1 kills, 10.1 assists, 14.1 digs, 1.7 blocks, and 1.4 aces per set. Bridget Witzmann leads the offense with 250 kills and is second on the team with 222 digs. Emily Ramsay anchors the back line with a team-best 261 digs. 

The Wolves
The Wolves head into the final three weeks of the regular season with a 16-5 record overall and 8-4 mark in the Northern Sun. NSU is hitting .219 as a team, averaging 12.7 kills, 11.8 assists, 17.5 digs, 2.3 blocks, and 1.7 aces per set. Natalia Szybinska leads the offense with 222 total kills, averaging 3.04 per set, while Abby Brooks is hitting a team-best .348. Abby Meister leads the Wolves and the NSIC with 441 total digs, averaging 5.80 digs per set.

The Vikings
Augustana continues its home stretch after a tough match against a top-ranked foe on Tuesday. 

On the season, Kia Kriener leads the Vikings with 274 kills, while Reagan Jansen follows with 173 kills and 158 digs. She also leads the team with 31 aces. Erika Bute leads the team with 424 digs, including 5.44 digs per set.

Also excelling on the front line are Maya Wente (170 kills, 70 blocks) and Callie Hohenhaus (169 kills, 61 blocks).

Lucy Bartee has put together an all-around contribution, adding 805 assists, 172 digs, 40 kills, 30 blocks, and 24 aces. Kiylah Franke and Ellie Walker have each produced on the back line, as Franke has tallied 170 digs and 23 aces, while Walker has collected 113 digs and 20 aces. 

One Last Thing
Erika Bute ranks fifth amongst NCAA DII in active career digs with 2,102. That number ranks 14th among all NCAA levels. She also ranks sixth amongst active players with a 5.11 career digs per set. Her 5.44 digs per set this season ranks 10th in the country and second in the NSIC.

Looking Ahead
The Vikings close a four game home stretch hosting the University of Sioux Falls on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m.