MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State volleyball team (14-6, 6-6 NSIC) defeated the Vikings of Augustana (10-12, 6-7 NSIC) in a four-set match on Saturday, 3-1. The Mavericks dominated the service line, ending with 11 aces and blocking seven shots at the net against the Vikings. Senior middle blocker Kiya Durant had 13 kills with a .344 hitting percentage, two aces and three total blocks against Augustana. Freshman Avery Klein led the way with 14 kills for MSU and graduate hitter Emma Loveall had 13 kills as well, along with three service aces to lead the squad.
 
Augustana started the match hot out the gates, jumping out to a 6-3 lead quickly. After some gradual back-and-forth scoring, a kill from Klein made the score 13-9 in favor of the Vikings. The away team went on a 4-0 run, followed up by kills from Klein and Durant before Augustana went on a 3-0 run to put the Vikings up 20-11. With the excellent lead Augustana carved out for themselves, the Vikings were able to run away with set one, 25-15.
 
Fired up after a slow first set, the Mavericks jumped out to 6-3 lead thanks to back-to-back kills from Durant and Klein. Durant and Toryn Richards also combined for a block early and senior libero Ellie Kline had an ace to give MSU an early advantage. After both teams traded possession a few times, Minnesota State went on a 5-1 run to put the score at 12-7. Durant had a solo block in the stretch. Loveall, Klein and Emily Kern each had kills during the run as well.
 
The Vikings followed up the Maverick run with one of their own, bringing the score to within one on a 4-0 run thanks to a trio of kills and a block. Minnesota State punched right back with a 4-0 run of its own; Klein and Kern had a booming block at the net and Loveall had two service aces to put the Mavericks back up 16-11. Augustana and MSU battled back and forth, with the Vikings pulling within three, but a 3-0 run for the home team closed the set. The Mavericks tied the match at 1-1, with a 25-19 victory in set two.
 
The Mavericks started set three with a 4-0 run and then a 3-0 run to give themselves a 7-2 lead early. Senior setter Brooke Bolwerk had a service ace in the early goings of the third. After some middling volley scoring, Minnesota State went on a 6-1 run to go up 15-6. Durant had a kill and consecutive service aces to give the Mavericks a nine-point lead.
 
Another huge run, this time 7-1, forced a set point with the score at 24-10; Durant had two kills and Kline had another ace. The Vikings were able to muster two points together before a huge kill from Durant ended the set, 25-12. Minnesota State hit .344 in the third set and Augustana hit just .094.
 
Minnesota State maintained the momentum from the previous two sets with a 4-0 start to the fourth set, thanks to three kills from Klein and an ace from Loveall. A 6-1 run for the Mavericks gave the home team an 11-3 advantage; Madisen Miller had two service aces and Durant provided two kills to expand the Maverick lead. The Vikings slowly worked their way back into the set with a 6-3 run that made the score 14-9.
 
The Mavericks opened up the set with a 5-1 run to give the team a 20-11 lead. Durant and Bolwerk combined for a block and Loveall had two kills in that stretch. Augustana scored three quick ones, but Minnesota State closed out the match on a 5-1 run, 25-15. MSU hit .432 in the final set.
 
Overall, Minnesota State had 55 kills with a .271 hitting percentage, 11 aces, seven blocks, 52 assists and 67 digs.
 
Klein was the kills leader for the Mavericks, as she ended with 14. The New Prague, Minn. native also had an ace, a block assist and eight digs in the match. Both Loveall and Durant tallied 13 kills against the Vikings. Loveall led the way with three service aces and hit .289 in the match. Durant had two aces of her own and contributed three total blocks as well. Kern also had three blocks against Augustana, which included two solo blocks.
 
Richards ended with nine kills, a block assist and four digs. Kline led the Mavericks in digs with 26 in the match to go along with both of her service aces. Kendall White was second on the team with 10 digs and Miller ended with nine. Miller also had two aces at the service line.
 
Bolwerk had 47 assists in the match and a service ace. She also contributed up at the net, as the Appleton, Wis. native had a solo block and a block assist against the Vikings.
 
With the win, Minnesota State moves into eighth place in the NSIC and pushes Augustana to ninth. The top eight teams in the conference make the NSIC Tournament at the end of the regular season. The Vikings were previously one spot ahead of the Mavericks.
 
"It was nice for us to start to get our swagger back," said Minnesota State head coach Corey Phelps. "During sets two through four, we played like we did to start the season; Great energy, urgency and with intention. Things are starting to come together at the right time for us."
 
Phelps also praised several individuals: "Our outsides and Durant stepped up when it counted today, and Bolwerk was calm and confident which helped us elevate our game a little more with each set. We have a tough test on Wednesday, but I like our chances when we play like we did today."
 
Minnesota State has two matches next week; First, the Mavericks will host the No. 12 Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State (18-3, 9-3 NSIC) on Wednesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. in the Taylor Center. Following up that match, MSU is on the road to challenge Winona State (14-8, 7-4 NSIC) at McCown Gymnasium in Winona. That game is on Saturday, November 2 at 2 p.m. The Mavericks defeated the Warriors at home earlier in the conference season in a dominant 3-0 sweep.