Volleyball 9/1/04 -- Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) 3, Augsburg 0 (30-23, 30-24, 30-24)

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (9/1/04) -- Lindsey Larsen (Jr., Jackson, Minn./Jackson County Central HS) had a double-double with 15 kills and 14 digs, while Aimee Freiborg (So., Sacred Heart, Minn./Renville County West HS) had 11 kills and five blocks, leading Bethany Lutheran College to a three-game sweep of host Augsburg College in a nonconference volleyball match Wednesday night at Si Melby Hall.

Game scores were 30-23, 30-24 and 30-24 in favor of the visiting Vikings. The match was the first of the season for both teams, and the first ever in four-year college competition for Bethany Lutheran, which had finished third in the nation in junior college volleyball last season.

Linnea Evans * (Jr., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) had 11 kills and eight digs for the Auggies, while Billie Painschab (Jr., Howard Lake, Minn./Howard Lake-Waverly HS) had nine kills and three blocks (one solo).

Bethany Lutheran jumped out to an early 10-4 advantage and eventually led 20-12, before Augsburg rallied back to trim the lead to 21-16. Larsen led the Vikings with five kills and five digs in the first game, while Evans had five kills for the Auggies.

Freiborg had three kills and three blocks in the second game for Bethany Lutheran, with Kristen Goebel (So., Danvers, Ill./Olympia HS) adding five kills on a .714 attack performance (five kills in seven attempts with no errors). Goebel ended up with nine kills in the match, adding six digs and two blocks. Kristy Larson * (Sr., Pine Island, Minn.) had five kills for the Auggies in the second game, ending up with six in the match.

The final game was a back-and-forth struggle early, with Augsburg rallying back from a 6-1 deficit to take a 22-20 lead. However, Bethany Lutheran rallied back with a 10-2 run to close the match. Larsen had four kills in a row during the BLC run. The Vikings also took advantage of a poor Augsburg hitting performance in the third game, as the Auggies managed just 14 kills against 11 attack errors -- a .070 performance.

Amber Danckwart (So., Kellogg, Minn./Wabasha-Kellogg HS) had six kills and five blocks (one solo) for BLC, while libero Britt Rinne (Jr., St. James, Minn.) had 11 digs.

Making her collegiate debut, Sarah Bradley (Fr., International Falls, Minn.) had eight kills and a team-high 16 digs for the Auggies.

Augsburg returns to action this weekend with four matches at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Labor Day Tournament on Friday (9/3) and Saturday (9/4). Augsburg opens up with a 4 p.m. match on Friday against Minnesota-Morris. Bethany Lutheran returns to action this weekend with play at the St. Ambrose (Iowa) Tournament, facing Grand View (Iowa) on Friday at 5 p.m.