COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Augustana Vikings women's volleyball team came out on top in another five-set thriller on Saturday, defeating the Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls to improve to 3-0 for the first time since the 2014 season.
Augie was victorious in the opening game after battling back from a quick 4-0 deficit to begin the day. The Vikings trailed by as many as five early on, eventually taking the lead 13-12 in the midst of a 6-0 scoring outburst. The two teams found themselves in a 17-17 deadlock later on, but back-to-back kills from
Jaden Julius put Augie out in front for good as they held on for the four-point win to take a1 1-0 lead in the contest.
After the Cowgirls evened the match with a 25-22 set two win, the Vikings regained momentum with a dominating 25-16 victory in set three. Leading 9-6, Augustana strung together a 10-2 run to cushion their advantage to as many as 11. The Vikings went up by 14 at set point and ended a six-point spurt from Hardin-Simmons with a block from
Syd Krueger and
Kira Nelson to seal the win. The Cowgirls answered with a 25-20 set four triumph to set up a fifth and deciding game for the second time in as many days for Augustana.
A kill from
Emily Schipper and two attack errors from the Cowgirls gave Augie a quick 3-0 lead, but the team was met with four points in a row from their opponent, eventually setting up a 6-6 tie with nine points left to win for each team. The Vikings broke away from the deadlock, notching the next seven points to put them two away from a match win at a 13-6 score. After an HSU tally, the Vikings wrapped up the victory with consecutive kills from
Leah Rizzo and Nelson to make it a perfect 3-0 trip in Colorado.
Schipper was the team leader in kills in the win, notching 19 to go with 12 digs. Nelson and Julius also contributed double-digit kills, while
Amelie Baehr-Ross filled up the box score with 38 assists, 13 digs, and two blocks. Krueger notched a team-best seven blocks. The Vikings posted 13 service aces as a team.
Augustana will be back in action on Thursday, September 7 for their home opener against Knox. Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. from inside the Carver Center.
