PELLA, Iowa – Taryn VanEarwage (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) had 13 kills and 13 digs Friday as Augustana opened play in the Central-Grinnell Invitational with a four-set win over Central. Coach Kelly Bethke's squad, which improved to 4-2 on the year, will take on Buena Vista and Grinnell in Grinnell, Iowa on Saturday, September 8 at noon and 2:00 p.m., respectively. The host Dutch dropped to 2-3 on the season.
 
An 11-2 run keyed a 25-21 Viking win in set one. With Augustana trailing 7-5, VanEarwage started the spree with a kill off a Lexis Miller (Oswego HS, Oswego, Ill.) set. Sophomore Jessica Nguyen (Kaneland HS, Elburn, Ill.) added a pair of aces and junior Taylor Steger (Red Wing HS, Goodhue, Minn.) three kills as the Vikings went ahead 16-10. Central would get no closer than three points the rest of the way. Set point came on a kill by junior Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) off a set from senior McKenzie Zambrano (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.).
 
The visitors led wire-to-wire in coasting to a 25-16 second-set win. They jumped on top 3-0 after a Brooke Harmon (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) kill. Harmon and Steger teamed up on a block that pushed the margin o 12-4—the largest of the game until the final. A Steger kill finished off the set.
 
The Dutch bounced back to take the third game 25-20. Augustana battled back from an 8-0 deficit to forge ties at 13 and 15-all on kills by VanEarwage and Harmon, respectively. However, a Krissa Larson kill broke the 15-all tie, giving the hosts a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Hana Edgerton's kill provided set point.
 
Set four was a see-saw affair. The Vikings led early and eventually took a 16-12 lead on a Central attack error. The Dutch answered by taking eight of the next 10 points to go up 20-18. Erin Dilger had two kills during the spurt. A VanEarwage kill and a Central attack error drew Augustana even at 20-all and the senior's next kill, off a set from freshman Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.), gave her team the lead for good at 22-21. Match point came on VanEarwage's 13th kill of the match. Zambrano set her to finish off a 25-23 Viking win.
 
In addition to VanEarwage's big night, Bialobok contributed 10 kills and six blocks and Steger had six blocks and nine kills on a team-best .250 attack percentage. Zambrano had 22 assists, while Doak chipped in with 10 and Nguyen recorded 22 digs and three aces.
 
Larson had a match-high 14 kills for the Dutch.