Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – It was nothing short of a tough battle on Saturday afternoon in the PE Gym as the Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (14-9, 8-7 NSIC) faced Augustana (16-8, 9-6 NSIC) to suffer a sweep (30-28, 25-20, 25-23) in a hard-fought match.

The Vikings, who entered the match tied in conference victories with the Mustangs, tied in conference victories, hit .277 with 46 team kills while the Mustangs finished with a .260 mark and 52 team kills.

Angela Young led the match with 17 kills, with 10 from Meg Schmidt and eight from Zoe Lier.  

Maddy Guetter who finished with 14 kills for a .343 mark, led Augie offensively.

The match started off to be a battle as SMSU ralled from 22-20 deficit to 23-22 lead late in the set. The Vikings were determined to maintain the upper-hand despite the Mustangs having set-point twice. The Vikings would finished the set off 30-28 as Avery Thorson, who finished the night with seven kills, ended the match.

The second set was of the same intensity as it was the Mustangs who rallied once again from a four-point deficit, to gain a 14-11 advantage with Payton Hjerleid, who finished the night with 11 digs, was at the line to serve. The Vikings could not be stopped as Guetter delivered back-to-back kills to aid a four-point run to gain a 21-18 lead. It was Guetter for the Augie's who finished the match with a kill for a 25-20 set victory.

After leading for most of the third, the Mustangs rallied for a three-point run with Thomssen at the line to force three errors on the Bikings to tie the match 21-21. The Mustangs were within one point with a kill from Young, but a service error would cut the Mustangs chance short as the third set ended 25-23.

Southwest Minnesota State returns to action hosting Wayne State for a mid-week match on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the PE Gym.