ELMHURST, Ill. – Coach Kelly Bethke's 2019 Augustana volleyball program jumped right into the fire Friday, opening the season at the Elmhurst Invitational against a pair of opponents that combined for a 46-11 record a year ago. The Vikings dropped their season opener to 18th-ranked Gustavus Adolphus before falling to Alma. Both matches went four sets.
 
On Saturday, August 31, Augustana takes on 10th-ranked Aurora and Greenville and noon and 2:00 p.m., respectively.
 
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS 3, AUGUSTANA 1 (17-25, 25-12, 25-14, 25-21)
 
Bethke's bunch controlled the first set, jumping to a 6-1 lead behind two Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) kills. A Madi Glatz (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) service ace gave Augustana its largest lead at 24-14 and set point in a 25-17 Viking win came on a bad set by the Golden Gusties.
 
Gustavus Adolphus bounced back to capture games two and three. A pair of Kate Holtan kills helped the Gusties bolt to a 7-0 lead in set two and they eventually finished it off by a score of 25-12. The third game was still tight midway through. A Taylor Steger (Red Wing HS, Goodhue, Minn.) kill pulled Augustana to within 15-12, but GAC ran off the next six points and rolled to a 25-14 win.
 
The Vikings led much of the way in game four, getting an ace from sophomore Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) to start things off. Doak's third ace of the set eventually extended the advantage to 16-10 and it reached 17-10 following a Gustavus ball-handling error. The Gusties rallied to take 11 of the next 12 points though and Katelyn Johnson's kill provided match point in a 25-21 GAC victory.
 
Bialobok finished with 10 kills and Doak dished out 15 assists. Junior Jessica Nguyen (Kaneland HS, Elburn, Ill.) led Augustana 16 digs, while Doak chipped in with 11. Freshman Ja'nya Davis (Narbonne HS, Harbor City, Calif.) was in on a team-high four blocks. Holtan had a match-high 15 kills for Gustavus Adolphus.
 
ALMA 3, AUGUSTANA 1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-20, 25-11)
 
Alma rode 18 service aces to a four-set win in Augustana's second match of the night.
 
The Scots claimed 16 of the final 20 points to win the opening set 25-15. The Vikings led early. A Bialobok kill gave them their largest lead at 8-3 and they were still up 11-9 after Brooke Harmon's (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) third kill of the game. However, a Sara Majerle kill sparked a 16-4 Alma closing run, with set point coming on Karleigh Zmikly's second ace.
 
A back-and forth second set saw five lead changes before Augustana pulled out a 25-22 win. Jordan Dryfhout's (Chicago Christian HS, Orland Park, Ill.) ace pulled the Vikings even at 19-all and they took the lead for good at 20-19 on a Scot attack error. An ace by Nguyen delivered set point.
 
Augustana led game three 12-11 following a Harmon kill, but Alma captured five of the next six points and went on to a 25-20 win. A Georgia Miller kill put the Scots up 14-13 and they would lead the rest of the way. A Majerle kill provided set point.
 
Majerle started game four with a kill as Alma jumped in front 8-0 on its way to a 25-11 victory. Match point came via a kill from Miller.
 
Harmon and Bialobok led the Vikings with seven kills apiece. Freshman Sophia Alexander (Verona Area HS, Verona, Wis.) came off the bench to contribute six. Doak and Dryfhout had 12 and 10 assists, respectively, and each matched those numbers in digs. Nguyen finished with team highs of 16 digs and three aces and Harmon, Davis and sophomore Lexi Miller (Oswego HS, Oswego, Ill.) were all in on three blocks.
 
Georgia Miller had a match-best 13 kills for Alma and Majerle (11 kills), Zmikly and Haley Novak each recorded four of the Scots' 18 aces.