DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team earned another split on day two of the Loras College Invite on Sunday, defeating the Adrian Bulldogs in a five-set thriller before falling to the Marian Sabres by a score of 3-0.
Match One vs. Adrian, W (23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12)
It was an evenly-played match to start off the day, with the Bulldogs taking a close two-point victory in the opening set. With the game tied at 20, Adrian rattled off four of the next five points to bring them to set point, but the Vikings spoiled it twice with back-to-back scores. The Bulldogs held on with the next point to escape with the 25-23 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The two teams traded points early on in the second, but it was Augustana that broke away from an 8-8 tie to grow a lead up to five points on three different occasions. The Vikings closed the game with their largest of the frame with a six-point victory to even the match at a win apiece.
Augie found themselves in an early hole again in set three, trailing by as many as four by the time the Bulldogs tallied their tenth point. The Vikings answered with a 7-1 run to gain control of the game and never lost their advantage the rest of the way. Adrian got within a point a few times, but once Augustana earned their 20th point, the margin never got under two and they held on for the three-point victory. The Vikings led 2-1 after three sets played, but Adrian responded with a 25-22 win of their own to force a fifth and deciding game.
In the fifth, neither team saw a team larger than two points until the Vikings went up 10-7. The Bulldogs got within two a total of four times after that point, but Augie never allowed them to get within striking distance, closing the set and match with a kill from
Ben Schultz to win 15-12 and 3-2 overall.
The Bulldogs ended the match with seven more kills than the Vikings, but Augie was much more efficient in their offensive attack, hitting .343 to Adrian's .237 mark.
Aiden Bond led a balanced attack for the Vikings with 13 kills, followed by 12 from Schultz.
Matthew Degnan finished with a season-high 44 assists in the win.
Match Two vs. Marian, L (25-13, 25-20, 25-19)
The Vikings took on the Sabres in the final match of the weekend, a team who entered the Loras Invite with a perfect record. The Sabres were in control from the start in this one, growing a differential to as many as 12 before winning the first set by that margin.
Augie found themselves in an early 10-4 deficit to begin game two, but fought back to trim it in half later on at 19-16 and then again at 23-20. The Vikings ran out of gas and the Sabres tallied the final two points to go up 2-0 in the match. In set three, it was a more back-and-forth start to the set as Augie found themselves with a 9-8 advantage. Marian answered with a 10-1 scoring burst to regain control, preventing any comeback threat to win the set by six and the match 3-0.
Aidan Bolen and
Micah Reaban led the Vikings with eight kills each.
Max Sellers led the defensive efforts with ten digs.
After Sunday's results, the Vikings now sit at 3-4 on the season. The team will be back in action on Friday, February 11 when they head to St. Louis to begin a two-day stay. The Vikings will face the host school Fontbonne, their second meeting this season, on Friday at 7:00 p.m.
