JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Despite capturing the opening two sets on the road against Jamestown, the Augustana volleyball team dropped to Jamestown on Friday night, falling 25-20, 36-34, 19-25, 23-25, 10-15 inside Harold Newman Arena.
Maya Wente finished with season-high 20 kills of a .300 hitting percentage while adding in six total blocks.
Kiylah Franke recorded two of her own season highs with 60 assists and 20 digs, while collecting four total blocks.
Reagan Jansen tallied 28 digs for a new season high while adding 13 kills and one service ace as
Lucy Belisle posted a season-high 20 kills with eight digs.
As a team, the Vikings recorded a season-best 74 kills alongside a season-best 112 digs in the five-set thriller. Augustana also totaled eight service aces and 69 assists.
AU scored the first three points of the opening set, including an
Abby Gruber kill from Franke, before the Jimmies came back to tie it at 3-3. The teams traded the lead through the middle of the set, and after UJ moved in front 14-12, AU answered with a
Sydney Tims block, a Wente kill, and a combined block by Wente and Belisle to go ahead 15-14. The Jimmies tied the set at 15, 16, 17, and 18, but Gruber's kill put AU back in front before consecutive Belisle kills made it 21-18. It wasn't long before Belisle added two more late kills, Tims put down a kill for 23-20, and AU finished the set at 25-20.
Set two began with Augustana trailing 6-2 before Cogan served an eight-point run. The blitz included two Wente kills, two service aces, and a Belisle kill to move the visiting team in front at 10-6. The Jimmies came back from a deficit to tie the set at 16-16, but AU later used a Belisle kill, an
Alexis Nelson ace, and a block by Wente and Jansen to build a 23-19 lead.
UJ fought off set point at 24-22 and tied it at 24-24, starting what would be a marathon ending to the second set. Neither team seemed to be able to pull firmly away, with numerous set points exchanged. The Jimmies soon answered and took a 34-33 lead but Gruber tied it with one of her season-high 14 kills.
Kelby Opland then put AU back in front and an opponent attack error finished the mammoth set at 36-34.
Augustana moved in front early in the third set, using a Wente kill and two Jamestown attack errors to turn a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 lead. The Jimmies answered after AU led 8-5, scoring five straight points to move ahead 10-8. Jansen stepped in to end the stretch with a kill and the Vikings later pulled even at 11-11 on an Opland kill and a UJ attack error. Despite the effort, the Jimmies took control from there with seven straight points for an 18-11 lead. AU cut the margin to 23-18 on two Jansen kills and a UJ error, but Jamestown took the 25-19 win.
The fourth set opened with the Vikings taking a 7-2 lead, getting kills from Jansen and Wente and aces from Gruber and Jansen around UJ errors. The Jimmies answered with four straight points to get within 7-6, but AU responded with seven consecutive points.
Julia Blom served the final six of that run with two aces as the lead exploded to 14-6. UJ cut the margin to 14-10, and AU later stayed in front at 22-19 when Belisle put down a kill from Franke. The Jimmies clawed back to score the next four points to move ahead 23-22 before AU tied it on a service error. But the home team took the last two points to force a fifth set with the 25-23 win.
Similar to previous sets during the night, AU again moved in front early off a Belisle kill and a Gruber service ace to go up 3-1. But, again, the Jimmies took control from there with seven straight points to build a 10-4 lead. AU got within 14-10 behind two Jansen kills and a UJ attack error, but the Jimmies closed the set for a 15-10 finish.
UP NEXT
The Vikings volleyball team closes its week-long road slate with a contest against Northern State on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, at 1 p.m.
--GoAugie.com--
