MARSHALL, Minn. – The Augustana Vikings battled their third consecutive top-10 ranked opponent on the road, eventually falling 29-27, 20-25, 25-16, 26-24 to the No. 8-ranked Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs on Tuesday night.
The loss brings the Vikings to 5-9 overall and 2-4 in NSIC action, while the Mustangs advance to 12-2 overall, 5-1 NSIC.
AU and SMSU battled back and forth throughout set one, as both teams continued to hit their marks. SMSU eventually captured set one with a score of 29-27 and pushed the match to 1-0 in favor of the Mustangs. AU registered 16 kills throughout the opening frame led by
Kia Kriener with nine.
Augustana answered back in the second set, as it defeated the Mustangs by a score of 25-20. The Vikings battled point for point with SMSU before Augustana secured their 20th point and carried that momentum to even things out.
SMSU made the most of set three as they pushed the contest to 2-1 with a set score of 25-16. Augustana powered in a valiant effort towards the end of the frame but fell short.
SMSU jumped to a hot start in set four, but Augustana answered back with points of their own to keep things even. The Vikings found a burst of momentum midway through the set as it gained a three point lead to make it 18-15. The Mustangs battled to even the score to 19-19 as it looked to close the game. After a short burst of offense from AU, SMSU pulled away with a 26-24 set win.
Kriener ended the match with 21 kills to lead the offense.
Reagan Jansen turned in another double-double, going for 11 kills and 13 digs, and
Callie Hohenhaus added eight kills and five blocks.
Maya Wente chipped in with seven kills and five blocks of her own. Four Vikings tallied double-digit digs, with
Erika Bute (22),
Lucy Bartee (15), and
Ellie Walker (13) joining Jansen. Bartee paced the offense with 41 assists.
Viking Volleyball gets back on the court Friday when they return to the Elmen Center for a 6 p.m., match against Minnesota Crookston.
The Augustana community is invited to the Beer Garden — hosted by JJ's Wine, Spirits & Cigars — at the Elmen Center 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.
