SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Minnesota State volleyball team (10-15, 8-9 NSIC) lost to Augustana (SD) (16-9, 10-7 NSIC) 3-1 on Friday at Elmen Center. Minnesota State hit .295 with 58 kills but was outpaced by the Vikings 68 kills and .342 hitting percentage.
Jadyn Lester recorded 42 assists and a team-high 23 digs, adding three service aces.
Avery Rosenberg finished with 13 kills while hitting .440, totaled three block assists and led Minnesota State with 14.5 points.
Avery Klein matched Rosenberg with 13 kills and added 11 digs, six assists and two block assists.
Addison Foor added 11 kills, eight digs and two block assists.
"Augustana played very well tonight," said Head Coach
Corey Phelps. "Their offense was clicking consistently. When our offense hits almost .300 and they still executed at a much higher level its pretty telling. When we needed to score our ball, control was just not good enough."
SET ONE
Augustana moved in front 6-4 early, getting kills from Reagan Jansen and Maya Wente before
Lily Riese's kill put MSU back on serve.
Kyla Klein then served Minnesota State through four straight points, including two aces and a Foor kill, to move ahead 8-6, and Foor added another kill after the Vikings stopped the run. Augustana tied the set at 9-9, but Foor answered with a kill, and the Mavericks stayed in front through the middle of the set with contributions from
Avery Klein,
Olivia Sturgis, Lester and Rosenberg. After the Mavericks reached set point at 24-21, Augustana scored twice, but Rosenberg finished the set with a kill from Lester for a 25-23 win.
SET TWO
Lester served MSU to a 5-0 start in the second set, recording two aces while Foor and Rosenberg added kills during the opening stretch. Augustana answered to tie the set at 5-5 and later moved in front 12-7 before Minnesota State got kills from Riese, Lester and Foor to pull within 13-11. The teams stayed close into the later points, and after the Vikings went ahead 21-17, Sturgis had two kills and joined blocks with Lester and Riese as MSU tied the set at 21-21. Augustana took the final four points, closing the set 25-21 on a service ace by Reagan Jansen.
SET THREE
After Augustana moved in front 2-1, the Mavericks scored four straight points, with Riese tying it and
Avery Klein putting down three consecutive kills to move ahead 5-2. The Mavericks kept the lead through the middle of the set, using kills from Rosenberg, Sturgis and Riese along with a Lester ace to build advantages of 11-6 and 13-7, but Augustana later trimmed an 18-12 deficit to 19-17 behind three Jazmen Kutey kills and an Alexis Nelson ace. Augustana continued the push from 22-19, getting a Reagan Jansen kill, a Lucy Belisle kill and a Jansen ace to tie the set at 22-22, and after Riese and Foor kills twice put Minnesota State back ahead, the Vikings scored the final three points for a 26-24 set win.
SET FOUR
MSU built an 11-8 lead in the fourth set, with Foor,
Avery Klein and Sturgis contributing kills during the early stretch. Augustana moved ahead 13-12 on consecutive service aces by Lucy Cogan, and after Minnesota State tied the set at 13-13 and 14-14, the home team used a Maya Wente kill, a block and a Reagan Jansen ace to go in front 17-14. Riese, Rosenberg and Foor added kills as Minnesota State pulled within 20-18, but Augustana scored the final five points, closing the set 25-18 on back-to-back kills by Jansen.
Up next, Minnesota State volleyball team visits Wayne State on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb.
