Sioux Falls, S.D. – Augustana volleyball closed its home slate in dominant fashion Saturday night, sweeping MSU Moorhead 3–0 (25–15, 25–22, 25–22) inside the Elmen Center. The Vikings hit .214 as a team and never trailed in the opening set, improving to 12–12 overall and 6–10 in the NSIC. The Dragons fell to 13–11, 7–9 with the loss.
Maya Wente led the Vikings with 11 kills, hitting .269 while adding three blocks and three digs.
Brooke Berens followed with nine kills (.286) and a block.
Reagan Jansen contributed eight kills and seven digs while
Gabby Jones anchored the defense with 10 digs.
Kiylah Franke dished out 19 assists, combining with
Clara Hoegh's 12 to pace the offense. As a team, Augustana out-hit MSUM .214 to .085.
The Vikings jumped out to an 8–4 lead and never looked back, cruising to a 25–15 win.
Maya Wente powered the attack with three early kills, while
Sydney Tims delivered a service ace and a pair of key blocks to cap the opening run. Augustana's defense frustrated the Dragons, holding them to a -.130 hitting percentage in the set
Brooke Berens and
Lucy Belisle combined for four kills apiece in the first frame, while libero
Gabby Jones steadied the back row with five digs and perfect serve receive. The Vikings sided out at a 62% clip to take a 1–0 match lead.
The second set saw 12 ties and three lead changes as the Dragons found their rhythm behind middle blocker Raiah Mandell. But Augustana's balance proved decisive — Berens went a perfect 4-for-4 on swings for a 1.000 hitting percentage in the set, and Wente chipped in four kills of her own
With the score tied 22–22, the Vikings closed on a 3–0 run punctuated by back-to-back blocks from Belisle and Wente, sealing the 25–22 set win. The Vikings hit .293 in the frame and posted a 63% sideout rate.
Augustana raced to a 4–0 lead to open the third, highlighted by an ace from Tims and a pair of MSUM attack errors. The Dragons rallied to even things late, but clutch kills from Berens, Wente, and
Reagan Jansen pushed the Vikings ahead 20–16. After MSUM closed within two, a Wente kill and a service error clinched the 25–22 victory
The Vikings hit the road next weekend, starting with a Friday match at UMary.
