SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In marathon Saturday afternoon action at the Elmen Center, the Augustana Vikings clawed their way into forcing a fifth set against the #20 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, eventually falling 29-27, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17, 15-11.
 
The Vikings are now 9-9 on the season with a 5-4 conference record while the Bulldogs now sit with a 9-7 record and 2-6 NSIC showing.
 
Jolie Stecher led the offensive attack with a 15-kill, 16-dig double-double with three service aces as Reagan Jansen joined her in double figures with 10 kills and 18 digs. Brooke Berens swung at a hitting percentage of .375 for 12 kills while Lucy Bartee dished out 45 assists alongside nine digs and six kills.
 
On the defensive end, Gabby Jones collected 19 digs as Wente added in nine total blocks—including two solo.
 
Augustana tallied 55 kills, 73 digs, 54 assists and held the advantage over its opponent with 13 total blocks in the five-set thriller.
 
An ace from Stecher helped pushed the Vikings out to an early 7-3 in set one and five straight points eventually made it 17-10. UMD slowly chipped its way back into it, closing the score to a 20-18 difference. Augustana fended off the quick attack, taking a 24-19 advantage, but the Bulldog attack kicked into overdrive. A stunning back-and-forth battle would ensue until UMD would eventually steal the set, 29-27.
 
Berens slammed down a rocket to take a 10-6 lead but the Bulldogs would quickly narrow it down to a one-point difference. The Vikings remained hot, with the lead eventually ballooning to a 18-13 advantage off a kill from Jansen. Despite a late pushback from UMD, three straight points and a 3-1 run would give Augustana the set, 25-17.
 
It was a tightly contested start to the third set, featuring seven ties before either team hit the 10-point mark. The Bulldogs took their first two-point lead at 11-9 and the Vikings continued to hang around despite hot swinging from the opponent. An ace soon made it a 17-13 UMD lead and though Augustana attempted to rally late and make it a three-point difference, the set would end 25-21 for the visitors.
 
The Bulldogs took a fast 7-2 lead in the fourth but was soon tied at nine apiece courtesy of the Viking front row assault. Augustana took its first lead at 11-10 and pieced together a sizzling 5-0 run—featuring three kills, a block and an ace—to firmly take control. The home team would claim five of the final six points of the set, closing it at 25-17 to force a fifth.
 
Despite falling behind 4-1 to open the final set, the Vikings slowly chipped away at the difference and used back-to-back-to-back points to tie it up at nine apiece. AU and UMD would again tie at 10, but a 5-1 run with three straight kills from Samantha Paulsen would give the Bulldogs the win, 15-11.
 
Looking Ahead
Augustana will hit the road on Thursday, Oct. 17 for a 6 p.m. match against Wayne State before returning home on Saturday, Oct. 19 for an Alumni Night contest against Sioux Falls.