NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team was defeated on the road on Saturday, falling to the undefeated and No. 4 ranked North Central Cardinals by a score of 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-22).

The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, using a mid-game spurt of four consecutive scores to stretch a six-point advantage to ten. Overall, the home team saw a run of 13-4 in the frame to help lead them to the 11-point victory a take a 1-0 lead in the match. 

In set two, it was the Vikings that jumped out to an early lead at 8-5. The Cardinals answered with 10 of the next 11 points scored to regain control and coast to the finish line. Augie was unable to trim the deficit to under six points and North Central used one more late scoring burst to win by double digits for the second straight game.

North Central jumped out and held a small advantage throughout the beginning of set three, eventually pushing it out to seven at 19-12. The differential grew to eight at 24-16, but the Vikings fended off match point six times in a row to cut the margin to just two points at 24-22. Augie ran out of gas and a kill from the Cardinals clinched the set three win and 3-0 match triumph.

Aidan Bolen led the Vikings in kills with six, while Aiden Bond and Josh Van Essen each recorded five apiece.

With the loss, Augustana drops to 5-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The team will be back in action on Sunday in a non-conference matchup with the Benedictine Eagles. Start time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. from Lisle, Ill.