SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana volleyball put up a battle against No. 11 Wayne State, taking the non-conference competition down to the wire, before ultimately dropping in three sets (25-17, 25-23, 25-23) on Tuesday night inside the Elmen Center.
 
The Vikings drop to 10-13 overall with a 6-7 NSIC record while the Wildcats improve to 19-4 on the year and 11-2 in conference play.
 
Maya Wente led with 11 kills on the night as Brooke Berens added in nine. Lucy Bartee dished out 28 assists and Reagan Jansen served out four aces. On the defensive end, Lucy Cogan collected 13 digs while Jansen had 12 and Alexis Nelson had 10 as Wente added in two solo blocks.
 
Augustana totaled 37 kills alongside 34 assists and six total blocks while narrowly holding the advantage over the visitors with 59 digs but dominating at the service line with nine aces.
 
The Wildcats opened set one with an early 6-1 run to take a 9-6 following a service ace. Lucy Belisle and Berens each slammed down kills but another run from the visitors made it a seven-point differential. Back-and-forth topped off by three straight points—featuring two Berens kills—helped the Vikings close in at 21-17, but Wayne State would take the final four points to end it, 25-17.
 
Despite falling behind 7-4 in set two, Augustana stepped on the gas and scored six straight points—featuring three aces from Jansen—to take the lead 10-7. The Vikings and Wildcats would go on to trade blows, with the kills each racking up, until Wayne State would tie it up at 17 apiece. AU scored the next two but WSC scored four straight to regain control. Augustana again hit back with another three straight points, but would drop the next two points, ending the set 25-23.
 
Hard-fought battle again continued in set three, where the Vikings found themselves down 6-2 early on. A combined 8-1 run from the home team made it a 10-7 game until the Wildcats responded with four straight points of their own. Back-and-forth continued but it was a kill, block, error and ace that pushed Augustana ahead 18-14. Jansen and Wente combined to make it a 22-18 lead, but the Wildcat front row got hot. The visitors would close set three on a 7-1 run to end it, 25-23.
 
Looking Ahead
Augustana will return to action at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31 for a matchup against #9 Concordia-St. Paul on the road.