MINNEAPOLIS -- Ashley Peper (JR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) finished with 18 kills and 19 digs, leading the Augsburg College volleyball team to victory against Concordia College-Moorhead 3-1 in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener on Thursday evening at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg def. Concordia 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 25-20)
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 11-3 (1-0 MIAC), Concordia 4-5 (0-1 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• All four sets were close and decided down the stretch. Augsburg was able to take advantage of some Cobber miscues and finished with a match-high 11 team blocks. Neither team's attack percentages were exceptional, which speaks to the great team defense played on both sides. The Auggies had five players record double-digit dig totals, while the Cobbers had four. 
• Peper's double-double was matched by Augsburg's Colleen Ourada (SR, Omaha, Neb./Mercy HS), who finished with 16 kills, 22 digs, and seven blocks (two solo). Jessica Lillquist (JR, Sebeka, Minn.) finished with a .286 attack percentage in her eight kills, while also tallying five blocks (one solo). DeeDee Maier (SO, Middleton, Wis.) and Mackensie Menke (SR, Prior Lake, Minn./Shakopee HS) contributed a solid defensive effort with 19 and 15 digs respectively. 
• Courtney Lemke (SO, Brownton, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake HS) led all players with 44 assists in the match, adding 12 digs and two blocks. Taylor Linn (FY, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) recorded five kills and four blocks, while Ellen Sachs (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) finished with seven kills for the Auggies.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg's win over Concordia tonight marked its second triumph in a row over the Cobbers, after sweeping Concordia on Oct. 30, 2013 in Moorhead, Minn., securing a share of the MIAC regular-season championship. 
• The last time the Auggies defeated Concordia in consecutive years was 28 years ago, when they won in 1985 and 1986. 

FOR THE FOES
• Anna Skow-Anderson led the Cobbers with 14 kills, while Heather Beaner recorded 12 kills. 
• Alyssa Shmidt finished with a match-high 23 digs, and Korbyn Ross finished with 19. 

QUOTE FROM AUGSBURG HEAD COACH JANE BECKER
• "It was a very evenly fought match. Concordia is a very good team that we expect to see in the conference tournament. I'm very happy with how our team worked tonight and finished out the match."

UP NEXT
• Augsburg travels to the College of Saint Benedict for a MIAC showdown with the Blazers on Wednesday (9/24) at 7 p.m.
• Concordia will be competing in the Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament in Eau Claire, Wis. over the weekend. They start with St. Norbert on Friday (9/19) at 5:15 p.m.