MOLINE, Ill. - Augustana avenged a setback to Wheaton earlier this year with a 5-4 win Saturday, April 29 in the finals of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin's Automatic NCAA Qualifier. The Vikings won at the top two doubles slots and top three singles positions to earn the league's NCAA Tournament bid. Coach Jon Miedema's squad improved to 24-6 on the season while the Thunder fell to 20-3.
 
Earlier in the season, way back on October 15, Miedema's team lost 8-1 to Wheaton in a dual meet just one week prior to the CCIW Tournament. The Vikings turned the tables in the conference tournament and scored a narrow one point (63-62) win over Wheaton. That gave Augustana the right to host the automatic qualifier this weekend and the Vikings put the home court to good use.
 
On Friday, April 29 they beat Carroll 5-1 to set up a showdown with the Thunder for the right to advance to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
 
After the doubles portion the Vikings led 2-1. Senior Dana Goggin (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) and sophomore Caitlyn Schaffer (Kenwood Academy, Chicago, Ill.) beat Emily Jones and Katie Park 8-4 at number one. Goggin and Schaffer are now 24-6 on the season. The number two team of senior Lauren Goggin (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) and sophomore Madeline Lombardi (Edwardsville HS, Glen Carbon, Ill.) took care of Miranda Kay and Sara Magnuson 8-5 at number two. Goggin and Lombardi are 15-6.
 
Augustana's number three team of senior Vicki Andonova (Downers Grove South HS, Westmont, Ill.) and freshman Zeana Badawi (Hinsdale Central HS, Burr Ridge, Ill.) dropped a tough 8-6 decision to Kirstie White and Claire Browning at number three.
 
Leading 2-1 heading into singles, the Vikings quickly fell behind 3-2 after Andonova lost 6-0; 6-0 to Magnuson at five and Lombardi fell 6-0; 6-0 to Emma Westwick at number six.
 
Lauren Goggin beat Park 6-2; 7-6 to move to 33-6 on the year at number one and that tied the match 3-3. Badawi dropped a tough 2-6; 6-1; 6-4 decision to White at number four and Augustana trailed 4-3 with two matches still on the court.
 
Dana Goggin dropped her first set at number two to Jones by a score of 6-1 but rallied to win 6-4; 6-4 in the next two. That tied the match at 4-4 and pushed Dana Goggin's record to 26-7. The clincher came at number three where Schaffer battled her way past Kay 6-2; 4-6; 6-1 to move her record to 32-6 this season.
 
Augustana defeated Wheaton 5-4 to win the AQ in 2015 and lost to the Thunder in 2016 by an identical score of 5-4. This is just the second NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in school history for the Vikings.
 
As Miedema's team heads into the post-season, both Lauren Goggin and Schaffer have eclipsed Schaffer's 2016 school record for single season victories. Last year Schaffer won 31 matches and that was eclipsed over the weekend.