DENTON, Texas - The Augustana volleyball program saw their Texas success continue on Friday, defeating Arkansas Monticello in three sets before topping Ouachita Baptist in four sets.
"So far so good here in Texas," said head coach Jennifer Jacobs. "The team is finding their groove and we love to see the grit and determination they are showing."
Arkansas Monticello
The Vikings opened the day with a dominant 25-7, 25-15, 25-12 victory over the Arkansas Monticello Blossoms. AU held advantages in kills (34-19), aces (13-2), blocks (5-4), and digs (30-19) while out-hitting UAM .373 (-) -.041 en route to victory.
Eight different Vikings delivered kills, with Kia Kriener and Reagan Jansen tallying eight apiece. Both were efficient in their efforts, as Kriener hit .462 and Jansen swung at a .500 clip. Lucy Bartee assisted on 28 kills for AU, Ellie Walker and Kiylah Franke tallied four aces each, and Erika Bute picked up three aces. Bute led the defense with seven digs, and Wente had three blocks to anchor the front line.
After scoring the first four points of the day, the Vikings never settled, as their lowest lead past that point would come at 7-5. Following the UAM ace, AU scored three points, capped by a Franke ace, and after a Blossom kill made it 10-6 in favor of the Vikings, the flood gates opened. AU scorched to a 14-0 run, scoring in every different way to capture the first set in a rout.
The domination of the back end of the first set carried into the second, as the Vikings scored nine of the first 11 points to pull ahead. After leading 13-7, AU went on another long run, scoring eight of nine points to march ahead 21-8. UAM chipped back, ending up within nine points at 24-15, but it wouldn't be enough to keep the Vikings from a 2-0 lead.
The first eight points of set three would be split between the two teams before another monster run opened the set wide open. Another 8-1 AU run elevated the Vikings to a 13-5 lead. A 3-0 run from UAM followed, and then 6-1 AU outburst gave them a double-digit lead at 19-9. The last time the Blossoms came within single digits came at 20-11, as the Vikings closed the match with a 5-1 run to secure the victory.
Ouachita Baptist
Even after a nearly six hour layoff, momentum carried over for the Vikings. Two Hohenhaus kills and two service aces from Jansen fueled a 6-0 run to open the game. After an OBU kill ended the run, an AU mini-run ensued, with two Kriener kills and a Piper Asche kill pulling together a 2-1 run to grow the lead to 9-2.
After the lead leaked to 14-7, OBU struck back, scoring four consecutive points to get within 14-11. OBU continued to chip, inching within one at 16-15 before a 5-0 surge from the Vikings, including four Kriener kills, brought AU to a 21-15 lead that wouldn't be squandered.
The Tigers put up a fight to open the set, scoring the first five points and nine of the first 13 to take a 9-4 lead, but the Vikings raced back with eight of the next 10 points to take a 12-11 lead. Points were traded the rest of the way before OBU ultimately pulled the victory to tie the match at 1-1.
Another battle broke out in set three, with the largest lead coming at 20-16 by the Vikings. Ties at 1, 2, 3, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 20, and 23 kept the game at a standstill, but the Vikings would prevail, as a pair of Jansen kills closed the set and handed AU a 2-1 lead after a pivotal third set victory.
The fourth set began similarly until a 4-0 run put OBU ahead 12-8. The Vikings put an end to the run fast, scoring the next seven points to take a 15-12 lead, capped by a block from Hohenhaus. The Tigers came back to tie the score ar 18-18, but a 3-0 run reclaimed the lead for AU, a lead they wouldn't lose the rest of the way.
Kriener totaled 19 kills, while Jansen collected her first career double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs, all while adding three service aces. Asche added 10 kills and three blocks, and Hohenhaus came up with 10 kills and five blocks.
Bartee filled the stat sheet with 50 assists, 12 digs, five kills, and four aces, and Bute had 22 digs to power the defense. Also elevating the backline were Walker (13 digs) and Franke (10 digs).
The Vikings close the Denton Volleyfest against the host, Texas Woman's, at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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