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AUGSBURG/MIAC VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The No. 16 Augsburg College volleyball team opened up the season at the 2014 Saint Benedict Labor Day Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Auggies started strong opening with a four-set win over UW-Platteville. The Auggies' evening match against No. 3 UW-Stevens Point also went four sets, but the Auggies were on the wrong end this time. Day two was more of the same with Augsburg picking up its first sweep of the 2014 campaign against the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, but then followed it up by getting swept by UW-Eau Claire.

Ashley Peper (JR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) recorded 52 kills (3.71 k/set) and 29 digs over the course of the tournament, and earned herself All-Tournament team honors. Courtney Lemke (SO, Brownton, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake HS) dished out a team-high 131 assists, while also chipping in 32 digs, five kills, four service aces, and three blocks. Colleen Ourada (SR, Omaha, Neb./Mercy HS) played in two matches and recorded 20 kills (2.5 k/set), 30 digs and nine blocks. Ellen Sachs (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) performed well in the four matches tallying the team's second highest kill total of 34 (3.4 k/set), added 33 digs, and served up five aces. Defensive specialist Mackenzie Menke (SR, Prior Lake, Minn./Shakopee HS) recorded a team-best 53 digs, and Cailen Giese (FY, New Richmond, Wis.) chipped in 12 blocks (one solo). 

All-Tournament Team
UWSP - Alexis Hartman, MVP
UWSP - Krista Loos
UWP - Lidia Frias
CSB - Taya Kockelman
AUG - Ashley Peper
CON - Olivia Wangensteen
UWEC - Katrina Raskie
UNW - Lindsey Peterson

The Auggies are idle until their rematch with the University of Northwestern-St.Paul next Friday, Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. in the Augsburg College Invitational.

Individual game stories are below.

Friday, Aug. 29

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MATCH 1 -- Augsburg def. UW-Platteville 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 17-25, 25-19)
MATCH 1 BOX

Returning to the court in 2014 for the Auggies are two All-American outside hitters in Colleen Ourada and Ashley Peper. The pair combined for 24 kills and 18 digs, with Ourada tallying her first kill-dig double-double of the season recording 10 kills,10 digs and four block assists to lead the Auggies to victory in the first match of the tournament. Courtney Lemke dished out 29 assists while Hannah Gibbemeyer (FY, St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) also reached double figures, totaling 17.

The Auggies took the first two sets, then dropped the third before closing out the Pioneers in the fourth. Mackensie Menke and DeeDee Maier (SO, Middleton, Wis.) led the way with 13 digs each, while Lemke reached double figures as well with 10. Jessica Lillquist (JR, Sebeka, Minn.) recorded eight kills, Taylor Linn (FY, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) had seven, and Jaelyn Ardnt (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS) tallied six. 

UW-Platteville's Allison Jensen was the lone hitter to record double-digit kills with 10, while Katie O'Malley recorded 22 assists. As a team, the Pioneers recorded a .135 attack percentage with 26 errors compared to the Auggies .170 attack percentage and 27 errors. 

MATCH 2 -- UW-Stevens Point def. Augsburg 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-15, 25-18)
MATCH 2 BOX

A matchup of two top-25 ranked teams looked to be going the distance after the first two sets. No. 3 UW-Stevens Point trailed 17-19 before rallying to win the first set 25-22. Then the Auggies rallied from a 9-17 deficit and came away with the 25-23 victory in set two. The third and fourth sets belonged to the Pointers and dashed the Auggie's bid at an upset. 

Ourada led the way again for the Auggies recording her second straight kill-dig double-double with 10 kills and 20 digs. No other Auggie reached double digit kills, but five of them finished with five kills each. Lillquist, Peper, Linn, Ellen Sachs, and Cailen Giese (FY New Richmond, Wis.) each recorded five kills. Lemke finished with 21 assists, while Gibbemeyer dished out 15 assists. Menke finished with 12 digs, while Peper and Sachs both chipped in 10. 

The Pointers duo of Krista Loos and Emma Brunkhorst combined for 34 kills and 17 digs, while Alexis Hartman recorded 36 assists. As a team UW-Stevens Point finished with a .186 attacking percentage and 25 errors compared to Augsburg's .100 hitting percentage and 25 errors. The Auggies doubled them up in blocks recording 10 to their five. Ourada recorded five (three solo) of those blocks while Lillquist added four (one solo). 

Saturday, Aug. 30

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MATCH 3 -- Augsburg def. Northwestern 3-0 (35-33, 25-19, 25-19)
MATCH 3 BOX

Courtney Lemke led the Auggies to victory with a career high 51 assists in the Augsburg College volleyball team's first three-game sweep of the 2014 season. Lemke added ten digs, two service aces, and two blocks as well. Ashley Peper also had a monster game, recording a match-best 21 kills and .581 hitting percentage. As a team, the Auggies finished with a very strong hitting percentage of .379 and only 12 attacking errors. 

Two Augsburg second year outside hitters recorded double-digit kill performances as well. Ellen Sachs finished with 14, while Jaelyn Arndt finished with 11. Jessica Lillquist was striking the ball well for the Auggies also, tallying eight kills. Defensive specialist Mackenzie Menke provided 15 digs, while DeeDee Maier chipped in seven. 

MATCH 4 -- UW-Eau Claire def. Augsburg 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-21)
MATCH 4 BOX

Ashley Peper and Ellen Sachs led that Augsburg attack with 12 kills apiece, but it wasn't enough for the Auggies to overcome the Blugolds. Courtney Lemke continued her strong showing in the tournament recording a game-high 30 assists and eight digs. Sachs added nine digs to her 12 kills, while Jessica Lillquist chipped in seven kills. 

The Blugolds were led by Katrina Raskie, who contributed a kill-dig double double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Setter Jenna Smits dished out 25 assists and added eight digs for UW-Eau Claire.