MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State volleyball team won the opening set, but dropped the next three in a 3-1 loss (25-20, 23-25, 16-25, 18-25) to visiting Augustana Saturday afternoon inside the Taylor Center. MSU fell to 2-8 on the year and 0-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while AU improved to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.
MINNESOTA STATE 25, AUGUSTANA 20 (SET ONE)
The teams traded points early in the set with neither team gaining much of an advantage for a 7-7 score. MSU took its first lead of the set with an ace from Jaelyn LaPlante for an 8-7 score and followed with a kill from Avery Klein for a 9-7 score and the first mini-run of the set. MSU would push the lead to four at 16-12 with the third ace of the set by the Mavericks, this time by Jadyn Lester for the largest lead of the set by either team.
MSU extended the lead to 18-13 on a nice kill from Avery Rosenberg and then a set-high 20-14 score with back-to-back kills from Klein giving her a team-high five kills in the opening stanza. MSU used a kill from Lily Riese to force set point at 24-17 matching the largest lead of the set, but the Vikings staved off multiple set points with three-straight kills pulling within 24-20. MSU ended the set with another kill from Riese, her third of the frame, for a 25-20 victory.
For the set, MSU hit .452 with 15 kills in 31 swings, while registering three aces and just four errors. AU hit .371 with 16 kills in 35 swings with seven errors.
AUGUSTANA 25, MINNESOTA STATE 23 (SET TWO)
Augie scored six of the first ten points of the second set, but a kill from Klein pulled the Mavericks within 6-5. MSU regained the lead at 11-10 courtesy of a pair of errors by the Vikings, but a 4-0 run by the Vikings followed for a 14-11 lead for the visitors. MSU ended a 5-0 run with a kill from Riese and a 15-12 deficit. Later in the set, MSU pulled within 19-16 on a miscue from the Vikings and the trimmed the deficit to 20-18 on another error by the Vikings. Augustana scored three of the next four points for a 23-19 lead, but the Mavericks wouldn't go quietly and stayed in the set with an emphatic kill from Riese. She then staved off set point with another kill for a 24-21 deficit. MSU pulled within 24-23 courtesy of an error and a kill from Addison Foor and timeout by the Vikings. Out of the timeout, Augie got a kill Lucy Belisle for the winning point and a 25-23 victory to level the match at 1-1.
In the second set, MSU dipped to a .189 hitting percentage with 11 kills on 37 attempts with seven errors, while AU hit .256 with 17 kills in 43 attempts with seven errors. Both teams hit over .300 for the first two sets combined. Klein had a team-high eight kills through two sets, while Riese had seven.
AUGUTANA 25, MINNESOTA STATE 16 (SET THREE)
Once again AU scored six of the first ten points of the set, but an error on AU and a kill from Riese knotted the set at six apiece. Augustana pushed the lead to 11-7 capped with a pair of kills from Reagan Jansen, but Riese came back with her tenth kill of the match to go along with Klein's 11th kill for an 11-9 deficit. Klein then matched her teammate in kills pulling MSU within 11-10. The Vikings scored the next three points for a 14-10 lead and a timeout by MSU. Out of the stoppage the visitors stretched the lead to 17-10 with a 6-0 run. An error on the serve ended the run, but a kill from Abby Gruber pushed the AU lead to 18-11. Klein registered her 12th kill of the match for a 19-12 deficit. Augie kept the Mavericks at arm's length the rest of the set for a 25-16 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Mavericks were held to just .125 for the set with nine kills in 32 attempts and nine errors, while AU hit .417 for the set with 17 kills in 36 attempts and just three miscues.
For the match to that point, MSU's hitting dipped below .300 at a .250 clip, while AU's improved to .342. Through the first three sets, Klein had a team-high 12 kills, while Riese had ten. Augie had 11 kills from Jansen and Kelby Opland. As a team, AU had 50 kills to 35 for the Mavericks.
AUGUSTANA 25, MINNESOTA STATE 18 (SET FOUR)
Augie scored the opening point for the fourth-straight set on the 12th kill from Opland. The Vikings scored seven of the first ten points to open set, but the Mavericks kept chipping away and pulled within 7-6 on two aces and a kill. Olivia Sturgis had two big kills early in the set as MSU pull back to within 8-7. From there, AU scored five of the next six points for a 13-8 lead and then pushed the advantage to 20-12, using a 12-5 run since the Mavericks pulled to within 8-7. The Vikings went on for the 25-18 win to clinch the match.
Klein finished with a season-high 13 kills and hit .344 for the match in 32 swings. Riese finished with 11 kills as the Mavericks hit .204 for the match with 44 kills in 142 attempts. Augustana hit .338 for the match with 67 kills in 157 attempts. Four different Vikings had double-digit kills led by 17 from Jansen who had a double-double with 14 digs. She hit .381 for the match.
The Mavericks return to the road next week at Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State and then at St. Cloud before returning home to host Winona State on Sept. 26 at 2 p.m.
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