CHADRON, Neb. – The 2025 Viking volleyball campaign started on Thursday afternoon as AU knocked off Black Hills State 25-16, 25-14, 22-25, 19-25, 15-10 on the opening day of the Eagle Classic at the Chicoine Center.

Maya Wente had 18 kills and a block while swinging at .484 to power the offense. Lucy Belisle added 11 kills and two kills while Sydney Tims totaled seven kills and a whopping eight blocks. 

Brooke Berens registered six kills and five total blocks while Kiylah Franke logged 51 assists and 10 digs. Lucy Cogan also collected 10 digs and five service aces while Clara Hoegh added eight digs. 
 
Augustana held the advantage in hitting percentage, attacking at a clip of .291 compared to the Yellow Jacket's' .163. The Vikings also held a 14-6 advantage in blocks and a 59-52 advantage in kills. 
 
After a pair of Yellow Hornet points opened the game, an 11-5 Viking run put AU in the lead behind six kills and two blocks from five different players. BHSU scored four of the next five points but a Belisle kill sparked a 5-1 Viking run to give them a 17-11 advantage. From there, AU scored two points for every Yellow Jacket point to give them a 25-16 win in the set and a 1-0 advantage in the game. 

The second set began with a BHSU kill but two Jansen kills and a block, along with a Wente kill slid the Vikings in front 4-1. Following another Yellow Jacket point, AU rode two aces and three attack errors to a 7-0 run to grow the lead to 11-2. BHSU chipped away to get within three at 14-11 but an 11-2 run, led by Jansen and Tims, gave the Vikings a 2-0 lead. 

In set three, the Yellow Jackets battled back to stay alive. After taking a 5-4 lead early, BHSU led the rest of the way to extend the match. The Vikings got back within 22-21 late but three of the final four points went to the Yellow Jackets. 

Looking to continue extending the game, BHSU marched to a 15-8 lead early in set four. The Vikings crept as close as 18-15 but the Yellow Jackets ran away with the set to bring us to five. 

BHSU opened the final set with a point but two errors, a Berens kill and Cogan service ace zoomed AU in front 4-1. That lead grew to 8-3 after a Jansen kill. The Yellow Jackets weren't done quite yet when they climbed within 8-6 but a 7-4 run, capped by a Berens kill, closed the season-opening victory. 
 
Augustana will return to action on Friday with two matches as the team faces Chadron State at 2 p.m. and Saint Martin's at 6 p.m.