MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Three of five sets went past regulation Friday before Augustana ultimately came away a winner at Cornell. Coach Kelly Bethke's club won its third straight match to improve to 6-7 on the season, while the Rams fell to 5-6.
 
The Vikings sandwiched 27-25 wins in sets one and three around a 26-24 setback in set two. Cornell rallied to take set four 25-20, but Augustana rolled to a 15-6 victory in the fifth.
 
Bethke's bunch trailed early in game one, but senior Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) had three kills in an 8-2 run that gave the Vikings their first lead at 16-15. The score see-sawed back and forth until a Ja'Nya Davis (Narbonne HS, Harbor City, Calif.) kill staved off set point to tie 25-all and a pair of Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) service aces finished off the set.
 
Augustana played from behind again in game two, but another Doak ace eventually forged a 24-all tie. However, Rory Light had a kill and then combined with Amber Frazier on a block that lifted the Rams to a 26-24 win.
 
Set three played out much the same as the first. Cornell jumped on top 8-3. Doak and senior Brooke Harmon (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) later teamed up on a block that tied it at 16-all before the Rams took control again. A pair of Savana Sparks (Maroa-Forsyth HS, Maroa, Ill.) kills helped the Vikings fight off three set points and she added two more to close out the set 27-25.
 
It was the hosts that rallied to win game four. Augustana led 16-11, but Cornell took five straight points to tie it. A Bialobok kill gave the Vikings one final advantage, but the Rams claimed the next four points and went on to a 25-20 win. Set point came via a Danielle Amonica kill.
 
Cornell captured the first point of the deciding set, but Augustana answered with three straight and led the rest of the way. Davis and senior Taylor Steger (Red Wing HS, Goodhue, Minn.) combined on a block that made it 8-3 at the turn and a Laura Heuermann (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) kill delivered match point in a 15-6 Viking win.
 
Bialobok's 21 kills were a career and match high, as were Doak's 46 assists and seven aces. Sparks added 10 kills. Junior Jessica Nguyen (Kaneland HS, Elburn, Ill.) led four Augustana players in double-figure digs with 23 and Davis was in on a match-best eight blocks, including two solo.
 
The Vikings 1-0 in CCIW play, jump back into league action on Wednesday, September 25, when they'll play their 2019 home opener versus Carroll at 7:00 p.m.