ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana was unable to build on the momentum of a game-one win Friday, eventually falling in four to 13th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan at Carver Center. Coach Kelly Bethke's squad dropped to 12-11 on the year and 2-3 in the CCIW, while the Titans won their 10th straight match to improve to 15-5 overall and 6-0 in the

conference.
 
Rachel Burkman had three kills as Illinois Wesleyan jumped to a 5-1 lead in the first game. Senior Emily Uglem (Moorhead HS, Moorhead, Minn.) and freshman Sierra Erke (Quincy HS, Quincy, Ill.) each had two kills as Augustana claimed the 11 of the next 15 points, prompting a Titan timeout. The visitors came back to tie it at 16-all on a Leah Seielstad kill, but the Vikings responded with a 7-2 run to go up 23-18. Uglem had two more kills and freshman Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) a pair of service aces during the spurt. Doak set senior Victoria Biggerstaff (Broomfield HS, Broomfield, Colo.) for a kill that gave Augustana the set by a score of 25-21.
 
IWU pulled even with a 25-22 win in game two. The final margin equaled the largest in a tightly-played set. The Titans took leads of 10-8 and 12-9 on the Vikings' first two service errors of the match. Uglem and junior Brooke Harmon (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) each had two kills as the hosts went on an 8-3 run to go ahead 17-15. However, IWU answered by taking eight of the next 11 points for a 23-20 advantage. An Erke kill and a Brooke Keegan (Hall HS, Ladd, Ill.) ace pulled Augustana to within a point, but two Burkman kills closed things out.
 
The Vikings claimed the first two points of game three, but behind a pair of Heidi Dague kills, Illinois Wesleyan won the next five and wouldn't trail again. Augustana got as close as 12-10 on an Ugem kill, but the Titans closed with a 13-4 run. Set point in a 25-14 IWU came on a Viking attack error.
 
Illinois Wesleyan took advantage of five consecutive Viking errors in a 9-0 run that gave the Titans a 13-3 lead in game four. The hosts would get no closer nine points the rest of the way. Emily Chapman's kill provided IWU with match point in a 25-12 win.
 
Uglem led Augustana with 12 kills and just two errors in 22 swings for an attack percentage of .455. Erke added 11 kills against just one error in 30 attempts. Keegan finished with 17 assists, one more than Doak, who led the Vikings with three aces. Senior Taryn VanEarwage (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) had a team-high 14 digs and junior Taylor Steger (Red W8ing HS, Goodhue, Minn.) was in on a team-best six blocks.
 
Burkman and Tyler Brown each had 15 kills for the Titans. Seielstad had a match-best 31 assists and Brown added a match-high 20 digs.
 
Bethke's crew is back in action at Carver Center on Tuesday, October 16, hosting Wheaton in a 7:00 p.m. match.