ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana captured a 33-31 marathon Thursday to close out a four-set win over Elmhurst at Carver Center. Coach
Kelly Bethke's Vikings improved to
Senior Taryn VanEarwage had 15 kills
and 16 digs in Augustana's four-set
win over Elmhurst Thursday at
Carver Center.
10-8 overall and 1-2 in the CCIW, while the Bluejays dropped to 9-10 on the season and 2-3 in the league.
Game one went to the hosts by a score of 25-22.
Emily Uglem (Moorhead HS, Moorhead, Minn.) had three kills in a 4-0 Viking run that put them up 12-9. Behind three Kayla Mast kills, Elmhurst answered with a 10-4 spurt to take a 19-16 lead before another Uglem kill provided the turning point, sparking a string of six straight Augustana points. The senior capped the spree as well, with a kill that gave the Vikings a 22-19 advantage. She had one more, giving her six for the game, before a kill by freshman
Sierra Erke (Quincy HS, Quincy, Ill.), with an assist from classmate
Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.), finished off the set.
The Bluejays went on a 6-0 run of their own in game two to take an early 10-4 lead. However, behind three Uglem kills and a pair of Doak service aces, Augustana responded by winning 11 of the next 12 points to go up 15-11. Elmhurst pulled to within 16-15 on consecutive Kelly Townsend aces, but senior
Taryn VanEarwage (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) and junior
Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) each had two kills as the Vikings pushed the margin to 23-17. Set point in a 25-20 Augustana win came on an Uglem kill off a set from senior
McKenzie Zambrano (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.).
Elmhurst stayed alive with a 25-17 win in game three. Consecutive VanEarwage kills gave the Vikings an early 5-2 lead, but the visitors won nine of the next 11 points—benefitting from four straight Augustana attack errors at one point—to go on top 11-7. The hosts wouldn't get closer than three points the rest of the way.
Augustana rallied from an 18-12 deficit in the fourth set, finally pulling even at 23-all on a kill by VanEarwage. The Bluejays fought off two match points, eventually taking a 27-26 lead. Then it was the Vikings turn, as they survived five Elmhurst set points—the last one trailing 31-30. They got a kill from Bialobok to tie and another from junior
Brooke Harmon (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) to go up 32-31. Match point came on Bialobok's match-high 15th kill of the night off a set from Zambrano.
VanEarwage matched Bialobok's 15 kills and contributed 16 digs as well. Uglem finished with 14 kills and Harmon had 10. Zambrano and Doak dished out 33 and 24 assists, respectively and junior
Madi Glatz (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) came through with a match-high 22 digs.
Mast also shared match-high honors with 15 kills for the Bluejays.
Next up for Bethke's bunch is the Washington University Tournament in St. Louis, Missouri on Friday and Saturday, October 5-6. Augustana opens against second-ranked Colorado College (17-1) on Friday at 7:00 p.m.
