ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – After 13 matches on the road to open the season, Coach Kelly Bethke's Augustana volleyball team finally got to play its 2019 home opener on Wednesday and turned in an outstanding effort in downing Carroll in straight sets at Carver Center. The Vikings improved to 7-7 on the season and 2-0 in the CCIW, while the Pioneers fell to 10-6 overall on 0-2 in the league.
 
The hosts raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set behind a pair of Grace Bialobok (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.) kills. Carroll would come back to tie it at 16-all on a Rachel Noonan kill, but while forging ties at 19, 21 and 24-all, could never take the lead. After a Bethke timeout at 24-24, freshman Ja'Nya Davis (Narbonne HS, Harbor City, Calif.) had a kill and a Pioneer error provided Augustana with set point in a 26-24 win.
 
The Vikings used an 11-3 run midway through game two to take control and eventually went on to a 25-17 win. Trailing 10-7, they responded by winning 11 of the next 14 points, taking their first lead at 12-11 on a Carroll ball handling error. Taylor Steger (Red Wing HS, Goodhue, Minn.) and Davis added kills and another by Laura Heuermann (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) extended the advantage to 18-13. Consecutive kills by Noonan and Sofia Camacho pulled the Pioneers to within 18-15, but Augustana took the next two points and wasn't threatened again. Set point came on a Carroll attack error.
 
Noonan and Sam Penzkowski sandwiched kills around one by Bialobok to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead in game three, but it was all Vikings after that. A Carroll service error evened the score and Augustana took eight of the next nine points as well, getting a pair of Olivia Doak (Crystal Lake Central HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) service aces and kills by Heuerman and Steger in the spurt. Another Heuereman kill stretched the margin to double digits at 16-6 and it eventually reached 13 (24-11) on a kill by Davis. The Pioneers rattled off four straight points, but a service error gave the Vikings match point and a 25-15 win.
 
Bialobok led a balanced Augustana attack with nine kills. Heuerman added eight, Steger six and Brooke Harmon (Lindbergh HS, St. Louis, Mo.) five. Doak had match bests of 28 assists and three aces. Jessica Nguyen (Kaneland HS, Elburn, Ill.) had a match-high 24 digs, while Madi Glatz (Morton HS. Morton, Ill.) chipped in with 11 and Savana Sparks (Maroa-Forsyth HS, Maroa, Ill.) nine. Harmon had a hand in two blocks.
 
Bethke's bunch begins play in the Viking Classic on Friday, September 27, hosting Coe at 5:00 p.m. and Wartburg at 7:00 p.m. at  Carver Center.