LA CROSSE, WIS. – The Valley City State volleyball team fell to a strong Viterbo attack in three sets Saturday, 25-14, 25-13, 25-23.

Viterbo outhit Valley City State .411 to .111 Saturday, tallying 45 kills and just eight attack errors.

Valley City State drops to 4-12 overall and 3-5 in the North Star Athletic Association. Viterbo improves to 4-6 overall and 4-4 in the NSAA.

Viterbo opened with a strong 13-5 lead in the first set. The Vikings couldn’t overcome the deficit as the V-Hawks took set one, 25-14.

The V-Hawks continued their momentum into the second set taking an early 15-4 advantage. The Vikings inched closer, including a pair of kills from Caitlyn Fischbach to trail 18-8, but wasn’t enough as Viterbo finished with the 25-11 victory in set two.

Valley City State found some energy and momentum in the third set – and its best set of the day – hitting .300 and tallying 14 kills. With the Vikings trailing 9-6, a kill from Bailey Nelson sparked a four-point rally to take over the lead at 10-9. From there, the two teams went back and forth down the stretch.

Tied at 22-22, the V-Hawks took two points in a row, including a Maya Roberts kill, to bring up match point. A kill from Maara Nelson kept the Vikings in it and prompted a V-Hawk timeout. Kenzie Winker finished with a kill for Viterbo to take the final set 25-23.

Sophomore Clara Wieland recorded a team-high eight kills and two blocks Saturday. Katie Juarez added five kills and nine digs for the Vikings while Kallene Klever and Jakenda Short each contributed 10 set assists.

Rekha Drevlow led the V-Hawks with 11 kills on .846 hitting Saturday. Abbey Johnson posted 18 set assists while Lauryn Sobasky added 17 assists. Adrianna Reinhart finished with 11 digs for Viterbo.

UP NEXT: Valley City State opens a five-game homestand with a non-conference matchup against University of Jamestown on Tuesday, March 9. First serve is at 7 p.m.