KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings women's volleyball team saw their season come to an end on Thursday, falling in the CCIW Tournament semifinals to the top-seeded Carthage Firebirds by a final of 3-2.

The Vikings rushed out to a dominant opening-set win for the early 1-0 match lead, breaking away from a 10-9 score with a 15-3 run to close things out with a 25-12 victory. Carthage evened the match in the ensuing frame, holding on to a 25-22 victory in set two to bring the contest to one win apiece. 

The two teams split the first 20 points of set three, but it was Augustana that pulled away, eventually using five consecutive scores to turn a three-point advantage into eight. The eight-point differential proved to be the final margin and Augie snagged their second set win for the 2-1 match lead. The Firebirds won the fourth set in convincing fashion, forcing a fifth and final game between the two teams for the second time this season.

Carthage took control quickly in the final game, jumping out to a 9-3 advantage. The Vikings slowly inched back, cutting the deficit to just three at 12-9, but were unable to catch up as the Firebirds held on for the three-point win to seal the match three games to two.

Emily Schipper led Augie with 15 kills in the match, followed by 10 from Jaden Julius. Amelie Baehr-Ross tallied 32 assists and secured 21 digs, while Syd Krueger had four block assists and one solo.

Augustana finishes their 2022 campaign with a 17-12 overall record, their most wins since the 2016 season.