MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Catherine University volleyball team battled Augsburg University through five sets Friday evening, ultimately falling 3-2 in a tightly contested MIAC matchup at Si Melby Hall. The Wildcats claimed the opening and third sets before the Auggies rallied to secure the victory, 19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-16, 15-11.
St. Catherine opened the match with a strong offensive performance, hitting .400 in the first set. The Wildcats broke away from a 13-13 tie with a 5-1 run, building an 18-14 advantage. Augsburg pulled within two late in the set, but the Wildcats maintained control, closing out the frame 25-19 on a kill from Addison Vandereide.
The second set featured nine ties and six lead changes as both teams battled for momentum. After trailing 15-8, the Wildcats mounted a comeback, using a 10-2 run to take an 18-17 lead. The teams continued trading points down the stretch, tying the score at 22-22 before Augsburg claimed the final three points to even the match with a 25-22 win.
St. Catherine responded in the third set behind a balanced offensive attack, recording a match-high 14 kills while hitting .306. The Wildcats built an early 7-4 advantage and maintained a narrow lead through much of the frame. Augsburg battled back to tie the score at 23-23, but a kill from Marta Haugen gave St. Catherine set point before an Augsburg attack error sealed the 25-23 victory and a 2-1 match advantage.
The Wildcats carried that momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a commanding 9-1 lead behind an impressive serving stretch from Maneeje Mostaghimi, who recorded three consecutive service aces during the run. However, Augsburg responded with a 15-4 surge to take a 16-13 advantage. The Auggies continued their momentum, closing out the set 25-16 to force a decisive fifth frame.
In the final set, the teams traded points early before Augsburg established an 11-6 lead. St. Catherine refused to go away, rallying to pull within one at 12-11. The Auggies answered with the final three points to secure the 15-11 set victory and the match.
Alivia Hanover and Marta Haugen led the Wildcats offensively with 12 kills apiece. Hanover finished with a .296 hitting percentage, while Haugen hit .286 and added a service ace. Addison Preuss delivered a versatile performance, recording eight kills, 23 assists and 10 digs, while Vandereide contributed eight kills and a solo block.
Defensively, Maddie Newton led St. Catherine with 16 digs and added two service aces. Mostaghimi followed with 14 digs and was a standout from the service line, finishing with a match-high five aces.
As a team, St. Catherine totaled 46 kills, 55 digs, 33 assists and nine service aces. The Wildcats finished with a .154 hitting percentage compared to Augsburg's .225.
The Wildcats travel to Northfield on Saturday evening facing Carleton College at 7 pm. They return to Butler Center closing out the regular season against Bethel for Senior Night on Friday, November 6 at 7 pm.
