Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ELMHURST, Ill. – Coach Kelly Bethke's Augustana volleyball team opened the 2016 season Friday at the Elmhurst Invitational by splitting four-set matches with Wisconsin-La Crosse and Aurora. The Vikings fell to defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion UWL before rebounding to take down the Spartans. Now 1-1 on the season, they'll be back in action at Elmhurst on Saturday, September 3, facing Cornell (11:00 am) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (3:00 pm).
 
UW-LA CROSSE 3, AUGUSTANA 1 (25-20; 22-25; 25-18; 25-19)
 
Wisconsin-La Crosse had three players register double-digit kills while downing the Vikings in four games. The teams split the first two, with the Eagles taking the first 25-20 and Augustana bouncing back in the second to win 25-22. However, behind Stephanie Henk (17 kills) and Ashley (14) and Jessica Entinger (12), La Crosse won 25-18 and 25-19 in the third and fourth.
 
Senior Amy Kalkhoff (Clear Creek Amana HS, North Liberty, Iowa) led Augustana with eight kills and classmate Jacqueline Kibir-Evans (Trinity HS, Forest Park, Ill.) chipped in with seven. Senior Hannah Lindaman (North Scott HS, Eldridge, Iowa) and sophomore McKenzie Zambrano (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) split setting duties, dishing out 13 and 16 assists, respectively.
 
Leading the way defensively were juniors Claire Martin (Mother McAuley HS, Orland Park, Ill.), with 21 digs and Maissie Musick (Camp Point Central HS, Camp Point, Ill.), who was in on five blocks (two solo, three assisted). Kalkhoff (14) and Zambrano (12) were in double figures in digs as well.
 
A third Entinger—Maddie—contributed 51 assists in the match for the Eagles, who improved to 2-0 on the year.
 
AUGUSTANA 3, AURORA 1 (23-25; 25-11; 25-19; 25-23)
 
After falling 25-23 in the opening set of its second match, Bethke's bunch roared back with 25-11 and 25-19 wins before closing things out with a 25-23 fourth-set victory. Sophomore Taryn VanEarwage's (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) 16th kill accounted for match point.
 
VanEarwage paced the Augustana attack, while senior Nicole Morrissey (Lake Zurich HS, Lake Zurich, Ill.) added a dozen kills and Kibir-Evans and junior Emily Westermeyer (Huntley HS, Huntley, Ill.) 11 each.
 
Lindaman (35 assists) and Zambrano (20) accounted for 55 of the Vikings' 57 assists.
 
Musick again led Augustana in total bocks with four. Four Vikings recorded double digit digs, led by Martin's 22. VanEarwage and Westermeyer had 17 each and Zambrano 15.