Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Behind 14 kills each from senior Dory Dudley (Tremont HS, Tremont, Ill.) and sophomore Jacqueline Kibir-Evans (Trinity HS, Forest Park, Ill.), Augustana opened the Kelly Bethke era with a pair of straight-set wins Friday at the Viking Classic at Carver Center. The hosts defeated Benedictine 25-23, 25-15 and 25-15 in the afternoon and came back to handle Principia 25-20, 25-22 and 25-14 in their evening match. Now 2-0 on the young season, Bethke's squad will face Wisconsin-River Falls at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and wrap up tournament play with a 4:00 p.m. match against Cornell.

Augustana 3, Benedictine 0 (25-23; 25-15; 25-15)

Kibir-Evans led the Vikings with nine kills and tied for team-high honors with five total blocks and a pair of service aces in the Vikings' season-opening win over Benedictine. The Eagles rallied from a 19-13 deficit in the first set to take a 20-19 lead, but Augustana took the final two points, with a Dudley kill finishing off the set.

The Vikings were never seriously challenged in taking sets two and three by identical 25-15 scores.

Dudley finished the match with seven kills, with sophomore Amy Kalkhoff (Amana Clear Creek HS, North Liberty, Iowa) and junior Martha Murray (Evanston HS, Evanston, Ill.) adding five each. Kalkhoff also matched Kibir-Evans' block totals with one solo and four assisted.

Junior Jordan Hampel (Hilliard Davidson HS, Hilliard, Ohio) led the way with 17 assists, while sophomore Hannah Lindaman (North Scott HS, Eldridge, Iowa) added 13. Junior Kylie Siebert (Kaneland HS, Sugar Grove, Ill.) recorded a match-high 17 digs. Hampel also matched Kibir-Evans' two aces.

Augustana 3, Principia 0 (25-20; 25-22; 25-14)

Senior Emily Leazer (St. Viator HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) had a team-best eight kills in the Vikings' second match of the day, with Dudley and Murray adding seven each and senior Hailee Brayton (St. Bede Academy, La Salle, Ill.) and Kibir-Evans contributing five apiece.

A Dudley kill and four straight points with Lindaman serving put Augustana up 10-4 in the first set and the Vikings maintained a four-to-six point lead the rest of the way. In the second, Principia fought off three set points before a Brayton kill wrapped things up. The Vikings dominated set three, leading by double digits much of the way. A Dudley kill ended the match.

Hampel came through with 19 assists and shared team-high honors with Siebert, with each recording four digs.