WAYNE, Neb. -- The Wayne State volleyball team will not be adding a conference tournament crown to its NSIC regular season championship.

The Wildcats lost in five sets to Augustana in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament in St. Paul, Minn. The Vikings claimed a 23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 15-8 win over Wayne State in the final quarterfinal match of the opening day of the tournament.

Wayne State rallied in the opening set after falling behind 16-11, closing strong to take a lead after the first frame. The Wildcats trailed 23-22 before taking the final three points of the set.

Augustana regrouped and claimed the second set, taking a 2-1 lead early in the set. It was a lead the Vikings would never relinquish en route to a 25-18 second-set victory.

Wayne fired back in the third set with a 25-21 victory. The Wildcats never trailed and built leads as large as seven points, putting WSC just one set away from a victory.

Augustana forced a deciding fifth set, however, claiming a narrow 25-23 win in the fourth frame. Wayne State was two points away from a match victory, leading 23-22, but the Vikings claimed the final three points to force a fifth set.

The Vikings took a 2-1 lead in the final set and never trailed after that point. Augustana scored the final three points to pull off the upset.

Augustana outhit Wayne State .263 to .191, led by Maddy Guetter's 24 kills. The Wildcats were paced by Maggie Brahmer's 17 kills. NSIC Offensive Player of the Year Taya Beller added 16 kills.

Wayne State had beaten Augustana twice this season, including a sweep of the Vikings just 17 days ago.

Augustana will now play St. Cloud State in Saturday's semifinal round, while Concordia-St. Paul will take on Minnesota-Duluth.

The Wildcats are now 29-2 and will wait to learn their NCAA Tournament fate. Wayne State entered the weekend ranked as the top team in their region. Concordia-St. Paul, which won its opening round match, was ranked second. The Wildcats have beaten the Golden Bears all four times they've met this season. Should the Wildcats retain the top seed, they will host the NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament.