SALEM, Ore. — The Augsburg University volleyball team faced two tough opponents in the Oregon Trail Classic on Saturday at Willamette University, losing to George Fox University 3-2 and to Willamette 3-1.
THE BASICS
SCORES: George Fox (Ore.) def. Augsburg 3-2 (25-14, 15-25, 28-26, 20-25, 15-10), Willamette (Ore.) def. Augsburg 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 25-19)
LOCATION: Cone Field House, Salem, Ore.
RECORD: Augsburg 1-3 overall
GEORGE FOX RECAP
In the match against George Fox, the Auggies initially struggled, falling behind early in the first set. The Bruins scored the first three points before Augsburg narrowed the gap to 3-2, but George Fox responded with a six-point run, highlighted by two kills from Audrey Schmitt and an Eden Cha service ace, to take a commanding 9-2 lead.
Aloaha Ricke contributed with two early kills, and
Taliah Triggs added another, but the Bruins maintained control, closing the set 25-14.
The Auggies bounced back in the second set, moving from a 7-5 lead to 11-5, fueled by a block from Gwinn Gorter and King, along with three consecutive service aces from
Maggie Lile. Despite a late push from the Bruins, Augsburg dominated the latter half of the set, securing a 25-15 win with a pair of kills from Gorter.
The third set was tightly contested, with the Auggies overcoming a 19-12 deficit, thanks to a six-point service run from Lile, which included two kills from Ricke. The set went back and forth, but the Bruins ultimately edged out a 28-26 victory.
The fourth set saw the Auggies rally from a 7-3 deficit, scoring six straight points, including three aces from
Elise Uphoff, to take a 9-7 lead. The Auggies reached set point at 24-17 and closed it out 25-20, forcing a decisive fifth set. However, the Bruins jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held on to win the set 15-10.
AUGSBURG TOP PERFORMERS
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Aloaha Ricke: Team-high 16.0 points, team-high 5 service aces, team-high 11 kills, 11 digs
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Jovial King: Team-high 32 assists, 12 digs, 1 service ace
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Maggie Lile:Team-high 17 digs, 4 service aces
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Elise Uphoff: 15 digs, 4 service aces, 5 assists
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Lilly Wynn: 10 kills, 11.0 points, 2 block assists
WILLAMETTE RECAP
Later, in their match against Willamette University, the Auggies again found themselves in a battle. After falling behind early in the first set, they rallied to take a 6-3 lead, aided by two aces from
Lola Pilon. However, the Bearcats surged back to win the set 25-19.
The second set showcased the Auggies' resilience as they fought back from a 15-9 deficit, ultimately winning 25-22 with a service ace from Pilon.
In the third set, Augsburg could not maintain their momentum and succumbed 25-18, despite late kills from Ricke. The fourth set began evenly but soon tilted in favor of the Bearcats, who pulled away to close the match with a 25-19 set win.
AUGSBURG TOP PERFORMERS
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Jovial King: 34 assists, 12 digs, 2 service aces
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Maggie Lile: team-high 15 digs, 3 assists, 1 service ace
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Aloaha Ricke: Team-high 11 kills, 14 digs, 11 points
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Ameerah Rogers: Team-high 6 blocks, including 1 solo, 6 kills, 9.5 points
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Lola Pilon: Team-high 4 service aces, 12 digs
UP NEXT
Augsburg will compete at the Hamline/Macalester St. Paul Classic next weekend, facing the University of Minnesota Morris on Friday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m. at Hamline's Hutton Arena in St. Paul, Minn.
