ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Millikin grabbed close wins in the first two sets Friday and pulled away late in the third to post a 3-0 victory over Augustana at Carver Center. The Vikings dropped to 9-12 overall and 3-3 in the CCIW, while the Big Blue improved to 11-8 on the season and 4-1 in the league.
 
Augustana played from behind for most of the opening set. Millikin used a 4-0 run to break a 3-3 tie and held its biggest lead at 12-6 following a Viking attack error. Trailing 20-16, Coach Kelly Bethke's outfit went on a 7-2 run to take its first lead at 23-22. Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) and Brooke Harmon (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) teamed up on a block that forged the first tie (22-all) since 3-3 and a Big Blue attack error put the hosts on top. Millikin claimed the next two points before Augustana fought off two set points with kills by Bialobok and freshman Ja'Nya Davis (Narbonne HS, Harbor City, Calif.). The guests also survived a set point, before finally winning 28-26 on a Marie Gerbasi kill.  
 
Millikin roared back from a 20-13 deficit to win the second game 25-23. A pair of Savana Sparks (Maroa-Forsyth HS, Maroa, Ill.) service aces helped stake the Vikings to a 7-5 lead and Bialobok had four kills in a 5-1 run that eventually extended it to 20-13. An Augustana attack error sparked a 6-0 Big Blue run that was capped by consecutive Skylar Harris aces. Kills by Bialobok and Davis stemmed the tide temporarily and put the Vikings up 22-19, but the visitors claimed six of the last seven points. Sarah Bingenheimer closed out the set with consecutive kills.
 
A Tori Stuart kill pulled Millikin into an 18-all tie in game three and the Big Blue went on to take eight of the last nine points to win 25-19. The game was tight early on, with four lead changes and 11 ties through the first 36 points. After Stuart's kill deadlocked the set for the final time, an Augustana attack error gave the Big Blue the lead for good. Match point came on a Viking error as well.
 
Bialobok and Millikin's Marissa McElroy shared match-high honors with 13 kills. Sophomore Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) led Augustana with 19 assists, junior Jessica Nguyen (Kaneland HS, Elburn, Ill.) with 20 digs and Harmon with five blocks.
 
Bethke's bunch will be back in action on Tuesday, October 15 at Wheaton in a CCIW match scheduled for 7:00 p.m.