SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Despite dropping a closely-contested third set, Augustana volleyball pressed on the gas to claim the four-set Senior Day victory over the University of Mary Marauders (25-21, 26-24, 23-25, 25-18) on Saturday afternoon inside the Elmen Center. 
 
The Vikings improve to 12-14 on the year with an even 8-8 record in conference play as the Marauders fall to 4-20 with a 2-14 conference showing.
 
It was freshman Lucy Belisle that led the front row attack with 16 kills off a .353 hitting percentage as Maya Wente joined her in double digits with 14 kills and five total blocks, including two solo.
 
The two seniors for AU each added in impressive stats, as Lucy Bartee hit the half-century mark and dished out 50 assists on the day and Jolie Stecher served out four service aces with five digs and a kill.
 
On defense, Reagan Jansen collected 22 digs in addition to her nine kills and Gabby Jones added in 13 of her own. Wente led in total blocks and Sydney Tims followed closely behind with 4.5 total off of seven block assists.
 
Augustana led with 57 total kills while accruing 66 digs, 56 assists and a solid 17 total blocks to hold the advantage statistically on the day.
 
Set one started fast and strong for the visiting Marauders, who took a dominating 11-3 lead early. Augustana immediately hit back with equal force, rocketing off a blazing 14-1 run in response. The bout featured seven kills from the Vikings, with five of them coming from Belisle. UMary scored four straight and worked to close in to make the score 21-20, but the AU front row tallied three kills and a block to close the set, 25-21.
 
Augustana jumped out to a 5-1 lead at the start of the second set, but UMary soon tied it up at nine apiece. Four straight points from the visitors pushed them ahead at 14-12 and the Vikings clawed to keep the game at a one-point difference. Another four-point run from the Marauders suddenly had it at 22-17…and then the Viking attack got hot. A 9-2 run—featuring a combined six kills from Belisle, Jansen, Berens and Wente—pushed the home team ahead and ended it, 26-24.
 
A block from Wente and Belisle put the Vikings ahead 6-3 early on but a 4-1 run from the visitors pushed it to a 13-12 lead for UMary. An intense bout of back-and-forth was exchanged between the two teams, who each relentlessly fought to stay ahead. A block from Berens and Tims tied it up at 19 and the Marauders would respond with five straight points to take control. Despite rattling off four straight and closing in at 24-23, UMary would take set three, 25-23.
 
Two early 4-0 runs from the Vikings helped push the score to 13-8 for an Augustana lead. Errors helped UMary cut the difference to one but the home team struck back with a combined 7-2 run to claim control at 22-16. The Marauders attempted to rally back, but kills from Wente and Belisle on top of a block from Tims and Bartee ended the fourth, 25-18.
 
Looking Ahead
Augustana will hit the road for the final weekend of the regular season, with visits to Northern State on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and MSU Moorhead on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m.