The Austin volleyball team played aggressive but fell short in a 25-15, 25-20, 25-23 loss at New Prague Monday.

The Packers (1-8 overall) struggled in the first game with a few errors, but they picked up the pace after trailing the second game 21-13.

“A pivotal change for us was when we started to play defense,” Austin head coach Darica Schneider said. “Then we were able to control possession and set up some rallies.”

The Packers led 8-4 early in the third game, but ended up allowing match point on a missed serve.

Austin will host Winona Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. for parent’s night.

“If we play this aggressive Thursday, we should be okay against Winona,” Schneider said.

Senior Bri Mayer had a career-high 14 kills for Austin to go along with three blocks, Emily Weiss had six kills and two blocks, Ashley Follmuth had eight digs, 26 serve receives and was 13-for-14 on serves with two aces, Jenna Svoboda had 10 assists, four digs, and was 10-for-11 on serves with two aces, Julia Wagner had 15 serve receives, four digs and was 14-for-14 on serves with two aces, and Kayla Rodgers had eight assists.