BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Despite claiming the opening set for the third match in a row, Augustana suffered its fourth straight four-set defeat Friday at Illinois Wesleyan. The Vikings fell to 8-11 on the season and 2-2 in the CCIW, while the Titans improved to 2-13 overall and 2-2 in the league.
 
Senior Brooke Harmon (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) had four kills and a pair of aces as Augustana took a 15-11 lead in the first game. IWU took seven of the next nine points to pull even at 18-all. The teams alternated the next four points, but two Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) kills bookended a 4-0 run that gave the Vikings a 24-20 lead. Wesleyan fought off one set point before a Ja'Nya Davis (Narbonne HS, Harbor City, Calif.) kill gave the visitors a 25-21 win.
 
A Jessica McCall kill put the Titans up 2-1 in game two and they would lead the rest of the way. A Madi Corey kill finished off a 4-0 IWU run and extended the margin to 14-8. Corey set McCall for a kill and set point in a 25-15 Titan win.
 
Bialobok had three kills and Taylor Steger (Red Wing HS, Goodhue, Minn.) two to help stake Augustana to a 9-5 lead in game three. The hosts took 10 of the next 13 points to lead 15-12, but the Vikings claimed four straight to retake the lead. However, IWU answered with a 7-0 spurt and wouldn't be challenged again. Set point in a 25-20 Titan win came via an Augustana attack error.
 
Grace Sanders had three kills as the hosts strung together nine straight points to take control in game four. Sanders' third kill of the run and fourth of the set gave IWU a 19-8 advantage and it reached 22-9 before the teams split the final six points. Match point came on a Makenna Jacoby ace.
 
Bialobok finished with a match-high 15 kills and six blocks, while Harmon had totals of 11 and three, respectively. Sophomore Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) had 34 assists. Senior Madi Glatz (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) led the Vikings with nine digs and Davis was in on a match-best seven blocks.
 
McCall led the Titans with 13 kills and Amber Juarez recorded a match-high 19 digs.
 
On Tuesday, October 8, Coach Kelly Bethke's squad is back at Carver Center, hosting North Park at 7:00 p.m.