SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana volleyball fell in a five-set thriller to No. 5 Concordia-St. Paul Friday night in the first athletic event held in the newly renovated Elmen Center. Augustana rallied from a 9-6 deficit to an 11-10 lead in the fifth set, but the Golden Bears took the deciding set 20-18.
After CSP moved ahead 6-4, Augustana pulled even on kills by
Sydney Tims and
Abby Gruber and moved in front 9-7 with help from a Gruber block and two Golden Bears errors. Augustana later led 13-10, but CSP came back to take a 16-15 edge before the teams traded points to 18-18. From there, Augustana won seven of the final eight rallies, with Gruber serving through a four-point stretch that included kills by
Maya Wente and
Kelby Opland and a service ace, before a
Lucy Belisle kill and a block by Wente and Tims closed the set 25-19.
The second set stayed even through 10-10 before the Golden Bears used kills by Kaelyn Snoozy and Kelsey Cooper and a Makenna Nold ace to move in front 13-10. Augustana cut into the gap with
Alexis Nelson's ace and a Tims-Gruber block, then
Kiylah Franke served four straight points as a CSP setting error and three attack errors turned a 15-14 deficit into an 18-15 lead. CSP came back to tie the set at 19-19, and the teams traded points through 24-24, with Wente putting down three kills in the late exchange and
Reagan Jansen answering the Golden Bears' set point. Opland's kill gave Augustana a 25-24 edge, and after Mehlayna Straub tied it for CSP, Jansen and Gruber finished consecutive kills from Franke assists for a 27-25 set win.
Augustana trailed 3-1 early in the third set before a CSP service error, kills by Belisle and Wente and a
Clara Hoegh ace pushed Augustana in front 5-3. The Golden Bears moved back ahead 8-7 on consecutive Augustana attack errors, but Gruber's kill tied it, and Franke served four straight points, including an ace, to send Augustana to a 12-8 lead. Gruber kill and a CSP attack error made it 14-9, but the Golden Bears scored the next eight points behind an Abby Rolbiecki ace, two Mehlayna Straub kills and two blocks involving Kaelyn Snoozy to take a 17-14 lead. Augustana got late kills from Belisle, Franke and Wente, but CSP pushed the margin to 24-18 on a Snoozy kill before Julia Gordon finished the set at 25-19.
Augustana scored the first four points of the fourth set, with Wente putting down two kills from Franke, Belisle and Wente combining on a block, and
Lucy Cogan adding a service ace for a 4-0 lead. The Golden Bears came back to move in front 6-5, using Augustana errors and consecutive blocks involving Makenna Nold and Kelsey Cooper before a service error tied the set at 6-6. The set stayed tight through the middle stages, with Belisle, Opland, Wente, Jansen, Tims and Gruber each producing Augustana points as the teams played to ties at 11-11, 15-15, 16-16, 17-17 and 18-18. CSP then scored five straight points to take a 22-18 lead, and after Wente's kill held off one set point at 24-20, a service error ended the set at 25-20.
Augustana moved ahead 3-1 in the fifth set on a Franke kill and a block by Belisle and Wente, but the Golden Bears answered with a stretch that included two Makenna Nold kills, a Julia Gordon kill and a Kaelyn Snoozy ace to go in front 9-6. Augustana came back with four straight points, getting an Opland kill, a Gruber ace, a Wente kill and a CSP attack error to take a 10-9 lead, and Wente added another kill after the Golden Bears tied it at 10-10. CSP moved back ahead 13-11, and after Augustana tied the set at 14-14 on a Belisle-Gruber block, the teams traded points through Gruber's kill at 15-15, Belisle's kill at 16-16, Opland's kill at 17-17 and a Wente-Franke block at 18-18. The Golden Bears scored the final two points, taking the fifth set 20-18 on a Nold kill and a block by Mehlayna Straub and Kaelyn Snoozy.
Augustana Top Performers
Maya Wente
- 19 kills on .375 hitting
- 5 total blocks
- 21.5 points
Kiylah Franke
- 39 assists
- 7 digs
- 2 total blocks, including 1 solo
- 1 service ace
Lucy Belisle
- 13 kills
- 4 total blocks
- 15.0 points
Abby Gruber
- 10 kills on .296 hitting
- 2 service aces
- 3 total blocks, including 1 solo
- 14.0 points
Reagan Jansen
- 14 digs
Up Next
The Vikings shift their attention to Winona State as they face the Warriors on Saturday at 5 p.m.
– GoAugie.com –
