SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Augustana volleyball continues the 2023 season in the Denton Volleyfest in Denton, Texas, hosted by Texas Woman's University. The Vikings open the tournament with Illinois Springfield on Thursday at 5 p.m. On Friday, the Vikings face Arkansas Monticello at 9 a.m., before finishing the day against Ouachita Baptist at 4:30 p.m. At 11:30 a.m., on Saturday morning, Augustana takes on the hosts, Texas Woman's, to conclude the tournament.
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 Matches
Augustana has played a total of four games, combined, against the four teams they will see this weekend.
1988 – Augustana 3, Texas Woman's 1
2010 – Augustana 3, Arkansas Monticello 0
2017 – Augustana 3, Illinois Springfield 1
2021 – Augustana 3, Illinois Springfield 1
Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and Ouachita Baptist.
Illinois Springfield
The Prairie Stars are 1-2 on the season after falling to Missouri Western and Texas A&M International before sweeping Arkansas Tech at home a week ago. UIS is led by Eirini Glynou, whose 48 kills lead the Prairie Stars, and Amanda McConnell, who anchors the back line with 47 digs. UIS was selected to finish seventh in the 14-team Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Arkansas Monticello
The Blossoms are 0-5 this season, going 0-4 in the Blossom Classic Invitational before falling 3-0 to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday. The offense has been powered by Jasmine Welton, whose 28 kills leads the club, and Stasha Adams has collected 64 digs. UAM has been tabbed last in the 12-team Great American Conference.
Ouachita Baptist
The Tigers enter the weekend after going 1-3 at the A&M-Kingsville Invitational, earning their lone win against Colorado State-Pueblo in five sets. OBU earned a first-place vote and was selected to finish fourth in the Great American Conference preseason poll. The Tigers use a balanced offensive attack, with three hitters having 28 or 29 kills. Riley Braziel has averaged 3.23 digs per set thus far, tallying 42 total.
Texas Woman's
The Pioneers went 2-2 at the Westminster Invitational last weekend, falling to Westminster and Nebraska Kearney before defeating Purdue Northwest and Saint Martin's to close the tournament. TWU was selected to finish ninth in the 17-team Lone Star Conference. Through four games, Tori Woods has been a force, delivering 56 kills to lead the attack. Kady Hansen has 11 blocks to lead the defense.
The Vikings
Augustana looks to bounce back after a difficult stretch of games to open the season. Kia Kriener tallied 52 kills on 3.47 kills per set to lead the team offensively. She reset her career-high with 19 kills against Pitt State on Saturday.
Lucy Bartee helped power the offense with 145 assists, as Reagan Jansen (33 kills) and Maya Wente (32 kills) made their Viking debuts and benefitted from the play of Bartee.
After being limited to two sets on the first day of play, Piper Asche opened Saturday with a bang, recording a career-high 13 kills while committing just one error and hitting .400 against Pitt State.
Wente has also added 18 blocks to her stellar play, with Callie Hohenhaus' 12 blocks chipping in to lead the block. Erika Bute powers the back line with 71 digs.
One Last Thing
Lucy Bartee's 145 assists are good for 32nd in the country, while her 9.67 assists per set ranks 37th. Also in the top 50 is Erika Bute, ranking 47th with 71 digs.
Looking Ahead
The Vikings open conference action on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m., hosting Concordia-St. Paul at the Elemen Center.
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