Dillon Hogan/ Winonan
Moving along in the season the Winona State University women’s volleyball team squared off against two more NSIC opponents Friday and Saturday.
Competing against Wayne State University and Augustana College, the Warriors ended their weekend road trip with a 1-1 split.
The first match of the weekend pitted the Warriors against Wayne State. Prior to the game, head coach Joe Getzin said Wayne State was “one of the top teams in the conference.”
This match against No. 12 Wayne State was the third match against a top 15 ranked opponent in the last four matches.
Wayne State made a late set run to earn the 25-18 win over the Warriors.
The second set yielded the same outcome for the Warriors. The Wildcats took the 2-0 match lead after the 25-22 second set victory.
The Warriors used the third set to fight their way back into the match.
The Warriors held a 15-14 lead, scoring 11 of the final thirteen points of the match to take a 25-17 win.
In what would turn out to be the fourth and final set, Winona State was down by six early in the set.
The Warriors continued to claw back into the game, but the Wildcats put the set and the match away by winning the fourth set 25-21.
Despite the loss, Warriors Jamie Cairncross, McKenna Larsen and Taylor Goar posted match-high statistics—Cairncross with her third highest dig total and match-high of 27 digs, Larsen with match-high 48 assists and 16 digs and Goar with a match-high 18 kills to accompany her 17 digs. Danielle Rampart also recorded a double-double posting 19 digs and 17 kills.
The following day the Warriors faced Augustana, posting a hitting percentage of .199 while holding the Vikings to .168 to claim the win.
A low hitting percentage in the first set coupled with seven errors cost the Warriors the first set 25-22.
In a reversal of fortunes, the Warriors turned around in the second set to win 25-22, posting a .224 hitting percentage with 17 kills.
Jumping ahead of Augustana in the third set, the Warriors committed three errors and took the match lead with a 25-18 win.
The fourth set came down to the wire for the two teams.
Up 22-21 the Warriors gave up four straight points to Augustana, costing the team the set.
The Warriors took the fifth and final set from Augustana.
Winona State jumped out early and never gave up the lead in the 15-8 set and match-clinching victory.
A season hindered by injuries has allowed senior Rachel Polland to play in only eight games prior to Augustana.
Polland stood out against the Vikings with 20 kills and a .486 hitting percentage to be the spark plug for the Warriors.
Joining Polland with double digit kills were Lauren Kudronowicz, Rampart and Goar,with 10, 13 and 11, respectively.
The Warriors are now 15-6 on the season and hold a 10-5 record in the NSIC.
Up next for the Warriors is a three-match week with a road contest against Upper Iowa University before returning to Winona for weekend matches against Northern State University and Minnesota State University, Moorhead Oct. 31 and Nov. 1
