Sam Thiel/Winonan

Finding themselves in a 2-0 deficit, the Winona State volleyball team rallied to upset No. 18 Wayne State 3-2 Friday in the team’s NSIC opener.

The Wildcats took the first two sets with identical 25-22 scores, placing the Warriors against the wall quickly.

WSU came back in the third set, winning 25-22 to keep their hopes alive.

They then tied the match up with a 25-23 victory in the fourth set.

Winona State finished the game with a 15-13 win in the final fifth set.

This comeback was their third win over a ranked opponent in the last two seasons.

With the game tied up at 13 apiece in the final fifth set, WSU junior Katie Froehle got a kill to put the Warriors on top.

Bekah Saugen followed up with a service ace to cap off the victory for the Warriors.

“The two main things we talked about at the break were one, that we had to stop giving up point runs of 3 or more, and two, that we needed to increase our sideout percentage. We feel that if we can sideout at 60% or better we give ourselves a great chance to win,” coach Dave Simon said. “The main thing we told the team during the comeback was to stay aggressive in all phases; attacking, blocking, serving and defense. It was obviously a tremendous win for us and after the comeback we just talked about how proud we were of everyone staying positive and staying aggressive throughout the match.”

The win marked the second consecutive season that Winona State had upset a ranked Wayne State squad, with the team knocking off the tenth-ranked Wildcats last season.

Saugen and Froehle each cashed in double-doubles for the Warriors, with Saugen recording a team-high 16 kills and collecting 18 digs.

Froehle registered 14 kills and 17 digs for WSU.

Senior Kathy Lohff had 13 kills and hit .333 while Kate Horihan put in ten kills while hitting .316.

Senior Maggie Finkel had a career day, leading the Warrior defense with 41 digs, the third most in a match in program history.

“This year I think we’ve been working extremely hard on our defense. It seems that we are just flowing in the back together and our team chemistry is connecting all the pieces for us,” Finkel said. “Our team works hard to better each and every ball for the next contact. We’ve been playing for each other and nothing else, as a unit. We’ve been searching for our team personality this entire preseason and after these conference matches this weekend I think we have definitely established and proved it: a team that plays with heart and lays it out on the line every time we step on the court. True love and passion for the game.”

Kayla Uhlenhake led the Warriors in passing, dishing out a team-high 23 assists with Kaley Jacobson contributing 20 of her own.

Elena Kruesel also recorded double-digit assists with 14.

As it has been all season long, the Winona State defense was fantastic, registering ten total blocks.

Lohff led the Warriors with six blocks while Alli Glisch and Horihan each had four block assists.

“I think what’s really worked for us backrow is our communication,” said Katie Froehle. “This season we’ve put a focus on trusting each other and flowing on defense and it all stems from our communication before, during, and after plays.”

The Winona State volleyball team won its ninth consecutive match, defeating Augustana 3-0 Saturday night in Sioux Falls.

The Warriors swept the match with 25-23, 25-19 and 25-20 victories over the Vikings.

Winona State played well at the net again, hitting .277 as a team while anchoring Augustana to a .123 hitting percentage.

Kate Horihan recorded 11 kills and hit .379 and was tied with Bekah Saugen for a team- high 13 kills.

The Warrior defense was stellar yet again, recording 18 block assists during the game, with Laura Zeamer having a team-high seven.

Froehle and Kathleen Omelina each chipped in four block assists in the win for the Warriors.

“Our middle blockers have been doing a great job closing the block at the pins,” Kaley Jacobson said. “This makes it much easier on the back row defense to play around the block and anticipate the opposing hitter’s shot. Our defense has been a major contributor to our first two conference wins and we hope to keep this consistent throughout the rest of our season.”

Four Warriors recorded double-digit digs, while Saugen and Froehle had double-doubles for a second consecutive night.

Saugen led defensive effort for the Warriors, recording 17 digs while Froehle had 16.

Maggie Finkel and Kayla Uhlenhake also each had double-digit digs, with 14 and 10 respectively.

Uhlenhake led the Warriors in the sharing department, dishing out a team-high 23 assists while Kaley Jacobson added 18.

The Warriors are 10-2 on the season and 2-0 in NSIC play.

Winona State will play their first home game of the season Tuesday when it plays host to Upper Iowa at 7 p.m.

Contact Sam at [email protected]