HAYS, Kan. - The Augustana volleyball team made a statement on the final day of the Tiger Classic, knocking off New Mexico Highlands in four sets before a five-set triumph over MSU Texas on Friday to close its nonconference schedule.
New Mexico Highlands
The Vikings knocked off the Cowgirls 25-13, 19-25, 25-18, 25-23 to open the day.
Maya Wente racked up 20 kills and seven blocks while swinging at a .581 clip to power the front line.
Sydney Tims added seven kills, a career-best five aces and two blocks while
Alexis Nelson added seven of her own and had a pair of solo blocks.
Gabby Jones had 17 digs and
Clara Hoegh added 11 digs and seven aces, tying Jackie Hingst for the highest four-set total in program history.
The Cowgirls scored the first two points of the match before a 6-0 run by the Vikings put them in front. After another NMHU point, AU added another 6-0 run to zoom ahead 12-2. The closest the Cowgirls came from there was at 19-11, a deficit that quickly grew as the Vikings scored six of the final nine points to cruise to a set one victory.
Set two opened back-and-fourth with the teams splitting the first 16 points for an 8-8 tie. NMHU racked up a 6-0 run of its own to start pulling away and later led 21-16. A Belisle kill started a 3-0 mini-run to bring the Vikings within a pair but the Cowgirls closed the set with a 4-0 run to even the match at 1-1.
A scorching AU attack helped them to a 10-5 advantage early in set three to set the tone for a crucial set. NMHU chipped back into the match, crawling within 12-10. From there, the teams traded two-point spurts before a 4-1 Viking run put them in front 18-13. With the Cowgirls riding within 19-15, Wente started a 5-1 run to make the lead 24-16. Nelson closed the set after a pair of NMHU points with a kill to give the Vikings a 2-1 advantage.
The Vikings continued their early-set success in set four, exploding for an 18-8 lead behind Wente's dominance and the excellence at the service line. The teams traded points until AU took a 22-11 lead. With their back against the wall, NMHU rallied with a 12-2 run to get within 24-23 but Tims sealed the deal with a kill to end the match and give the Vikings its fifth win of the season.
MSU Texas
The Vikings knocked off the Mustangs 23-25, 25-21, 25-20, 18-25, 15-13 on Friday afternoon.
Wente added another 19 kills and six blocks to end a dominant day at the net.
Lucy Belisle added 17 kills while
Brooke Berens had 11 kills and five blocks while hitting .478.
Tims had six blocks while
Kiylah Franke had three to go along with nine digs and 55 assists.
Reagan Jansen had 19 digs, Jones had 18, Nelson had 14 and Hoegh had 11 to lead the defense.
An even first set looked to fall in the favor of MSU after they took a 14-0 lead following a 3-0 run. The Vikings countered with five straight points that finished with three straight kills from
Lucy Belisle to give them a 15-14 advantage. Neither team could get into a rhythm as the largest lead from that point on came at 24-21 Mustangs late in the set. The Vikings scored a pair of points to get within a point but an MSU kill gave them set one.
Set two saw an early 4-0 Viking lead put them ahead 5-3. From there, the teams fought to stay within a point of each other until a 5-0 run, including three Wente kills, put the Vikings ahead 16-11. The teams exchanged three point strings and the Vikings countered an MSU point with two of their own to lead 21-15. A 6-1 Mustang run put the AU lead in jeopardy but The Vikings finished it out with three straight points to even the match.
In set three, the first multi-point lead came at 10-8 for AU, a lead that was quickly erased by a two-point swing for MSU. The Mustangs inched ahead 16-13 but four straight Viking points followed to reclaim a lead at 17-16. The teams battled all the way to 21-20 AU when a service error, Tims kill, Belisle kill and an attack error sealed set three and gave the Vikings a 2-1 lead.
The Mustangs doubled up Augustana 18-9 in set four while in pursuit of a fifth set. The Vikings marched back to get within 18-14, and later 20-16, but MSU took five of the final seven points to get to one more frame.
Two Viking points were countered by two Mustang points. AU scored a point, MSU scored three and AU scored two more to tie it 5-5. That was just a preview as ties of 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10 11-11 and 12-12 followed, with neither team giving an inch. It was eventually Jansen who earned a kill for a lead, a Wente block to get to game point and, after an MSU kill, a Wente kill to put the cherry on top of a 2-0 Friday.
The Vikings return to action on September 19, opening NSIC action with a 6 p.m., first serve at MSU Moorhead.
