Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana rallied from early deficits to win the first two games Thursday night, but ultimately couldn't hold off the nation's seventh-ranked team, as Wisconsin-Whitewater came back to defeat the Vikings in five sets at Carver Center. The hosts dropped to 9-11 on the year, while the Warhawks improved to 14-3.
 
UWW led 13-6 in the first set after Courtney Wagner and Rachel Butterfield teamed up on a block. However, a Warhawk service error started a 9-1 Augustana run. Senior Maissie Musick (Camp Point Central HS, Camp Point, Ill.) followed with an ace and the second of consecutive Emily Westermeyer (Huntley HS, Huntley, Ill.) kills eventually gave the hosts their first lead at 15-14. Whitewater rallied to go ahead 20-18, but Musick had three kills in a 4-0 Viking run and two more Westermeyer kills closed out the set 25-23 in favor of Augustana.
 
The Warhawks won the first three points of the second game, but the Vikings took seven of the next eight to go up 7-4. Whitewater came back to forge a 10-9 lead and it was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way. Taryn VanEarwage (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) and Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) combined on a block that gave Augustana a 17-15 lead--the largest of the remainder of the set and one matched only by the 26-24 final score. Set point came on a UWW attack error.
 
The Warhawks broke open set three by winning seven of eight points to go from tied at 14-all to a 21-15 lead. A Wagner kill accounted for set point in a 25-19 Whitewater win.
 
In set four, the Vikings rallied from a 10-5 deficit to tie it at 14-14, but an Alexandria Bialo kill sparked a 7-3 UWW run that gave the visitors a 21-17 lead. Augustana would get no closer and set point in another 25-19 Warhawk win came on a Sydney Rackey service ace.
 
The final game was never in doubt. Whitewater won the first six points and led 8-2 at the change. Mackenzie Evers' ace accounted for match point as the Warhawks won the set 15-3.
 
Westermeyer had a match-high 17 kills. Junior McKenzie Zambrano (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) recorded 18 assists and Musick had a pair of aces before leaving with an injury late in the first game. Senior Claire Martin (Mother McAuley HS, Orland Park, Ill.) had a team-high 21 digs, with Zambrano and VanEarwage contributing 17 each and Westermeyer 13. Bialobok was in on three blocks.
 
Amanda Spera led four Warhawks in double figures in kills with 13. Elizabeth Niestrom doled out 53 assists. Brittany Robinson had a match-high 31 digs and Wagner had nine total blocks.
 
The Vikings host another ranked team on Saturday, October 7, when 16th-rated Illinois Wesleyan visits Carver Center for a 2:00 p.m. CCIW match.