SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana volleyball split day two of the Augustana Classic as they lost in five sets to Northern State University (25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 25-16, 14-16) and defeated Northwest Missouri State in four sets on Friday night at the Sanford Pentagon.
 
VS. NORTHERN STATE
Kiylah Franke slammed down 15 kills in the first match of the day for the Vikings while Reagan Jansen (13), Brooke Berens (12) and Maya Wente (10) also all tallied double-digit kills.
 
Lucy Bartee dished out 47 assists, notched 14 digs and served four aces as Jolie Stecher collected 13 digs, three blocks and two aces.   
 
Franke added five aces, Gabby Jones garnered 16 digs and Sydney Tims totaled nine blocks.
 
Augustana held the advantage in kills (61) and aces (14) while tallying 70 digs, 58 assists and 12 blocks.
 
The five-set marathon against the Wolves started tightly in the first set, as Augustana and NSU traded kills and 3-0 runs until tying up the game at 11-11. A kill from Franke topped off a 7-3 run for the Vikings to take the lead 20-17, but it was a block from Berens than sealed the set 25-21.
 
Augustana kept the heat going at the beginning of the second set, exploding to a 6-1 lead to open action. The score climbed to 14-6 in favor of the Vikings, but the Wolves would not go away quietly, as a 10-2 run soon tied it up at 16. Strong attacking from NSU combined with errors soon ended the match 25-23.
 
Wente slammed down three kills in the opening of the third set to pull the Vikings within one at 7-6. It was back-and-forth between the teams until a 4-0 Augustana run put the lead at 17-15. The Wolves again pieced together a late-set run to claw back, jumping ahead and holding onto the lead to win the set 25-22.  
 
Set four started with the Vikings in control, as Augustana bolted out to a 7-0 lead. A 3-0 run highlighted by kills from Tims and Berens as well as a Franke ace pushed the lead to 16-8. The Wolves would get no closer in the fourth, as the Vikings continued to stay hot on the offensive to grab a convincing 25-16 set.
 
In the final set of the match, Augustana established an early 3-1 lead. Northern State again tied it up at 6 apiece, but a quick Viking run again but them ahead 11-9. Kills from Jansen pushed it to 14-3, but three straight points from the Wolves ended the set 16-14.
 
VS. NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
Maya Wente was on fire in the second game of the day, totaling 15 kills and six blocks alongside Brooke Berens's 10 and Reagan Jansen's nine.
 
Lucy Bartee handed out 44 assists alongside 17 digs as Gabby Jones tallied 18 digs and Sydney Tims added four aces and five blocks.
 
The Vikings slammed down a total of 48 kills with a showing of 73 digs, 12 blocks and seven aces.
 
Set one started with three straight points from the Bearcats, until kills from Berens and Jansen soon tied it up at 5 apiece. An exchange of strong hitting combined with strong action from the service line again tied the score at 17 in a set that featured 13 ties. But it was a 6-2 run from the Bearcats that helped close the first set 25-23.
 
Augustana opened the second set with an 8-3 lead and soon increased that difference to 13-6. But it was the six straight unanswered points from the Vikings that really made the difference, exploding to a ten-point lead before winning the set 25-13.
 
Set three started in similar fashion as the Vikings jumped to a 9-3 lead. The Bearcats would soon close the gap to just three points but would get no further, as kills from Jansen combined with strong blocking pushed the lead and ended the set 25-16.
 
Northwest Missouri State off of Augustana errors to take a 6-3 lead until an eventual 6-0 run from the Vikings gave them the 10-7 lead. The Bearcats came back fighting, swinging their way into a score of 15-11, but it was the Vikings' hot hand coming back into play that closed the gap, tied the game and took a two-point lead before closing the set 25-23.
 
Augustana will return to action on Saturday afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. contest against Alaska Anchorage at the Sanford Pentagon.