ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team was defeated at home on Saturday afternoon, falling to the No. 8 ranked and defending national champion Carthage Firebirds by a score of 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-18).

The Firebirds pulled away in the first set after a back-and-forth start that saw the Vikings within just two at 10-8. From there, Carthage put together a 9-1 run to cushion themselves with an eight-point advantage, but Augie came storming back to eventually cut the margin to three and force a Firebirds timeout with the score reading 20-17. Each team traded a point out of the timeout, followed by four straight from the visitors to grab the first set 25-18 and take a 1-0 lead in the match. 

Set two was once again highlighted by a long Carthage scoring outburst, this time turning a two-point differential at 8-6 into a 19-11 lead for the second straight game. This time, there was no Vikings rally as the Firebirds scored the final six points of the frame to take it 25-11 and go up 2-0 in the match.

Carthage never trailed in the third set, but Augustana hung around and found themselves in a two-point deficit at 10-8. Like the previous two games, the Firebirds were able to break away from the Vikings, growing a lead up to six points on two separate occasions. The Vikings remained within striking distance, eventually cutting the deficit in half at 19-16 and again at 20-17, but were unable to shrink the margin under three as the Firebirds held on for the 25-18 win to clinch the match 3-0.

Aiden Bond and Josh Van Essen each had five kills to lead the Vikings. 

With the loss, Augustana drops to 5-7 overall and 1-1 in the CCIW. The team will be back in action at home on Tuesday, February 22 when they host the Loras Duhawks in a conference matchup. Start time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from inside the Carver Center.