ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings picked up a pair of wins to kick off the 2022 Viking Classic on Friday, defeating the Blackburn Beavers 3-0 (25-5, 25-8, 25-9) and the Monmouth Fighting Scots 3-1 (25-11, 20-25, 25-14, 25-16).

Match One (W 3-0 vs. Blackburn)

The Vikings and Beavers began the first set splitting the first eight points for a 4-4 tie. From there, Augustana secured 21 of the next 22 points scored, which included a run of 15 consecutive points following the even 4-4 score. The last six points scored for the Vikings all came by way of a kill, with Caroline Hurst grabbing three of the final five to close out the opening set.

Augie quickly doubled up Blackburn in set two at 10-5 and again used a mid-set scoring outburst to pull away for good. Leading 13-7, the Vikings rattled off 10 straight points to push their lead to 16, eventually resulting in the 17-point win. Emily Schipper accounted for four of the final six scores for Augie in the frame.

After a Beavers point to begin the third game, the Vikings jumped out to a 6-1 advantage and quickly worked their way up to a double-digit lead at 14-4. Augustana had five separate scoring runs of three points or more, while holding Blackburn under 10 for the third straight set. The Vikings cruised to a 16-point victory to clinch the 3-0 match win.

Schipper and Hurst led a balanced attack for the Vikings with eight kills apiece. A total of 11 different Vikings tallied a kill in the match, with 10 grabbing at least two or more. 

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Match Two (W 3-1 vs. Monmouth)

In the second match of the night, the Vikings faced a quick 5-0 deficit to begin the opening set. Trailing 6-1, the team responded with seven straight to flip the game to a two-point lead in their favor. The Vikings never fell behind in the game, reaching 20 points before the Fighting Scots broke 10 on their way to a 25-11 first-set victory. Monmouth responded with a 25-20 win to even the match at one win apiece.

In set three, Augie again faced an early deficit, but climbed back to claim the lead at 9-8. During that stretch, Augustana put together a 9-2 run to cushion their lead and run away with another double-digit win at 25-14. Monmouth had cut the margin to five on two different occasions, but six straight points from Augie turned a 17-12 game back into a double-digit advantage. 

Augustana never trailed in set four, jumping out to a 13-4 lead to start things off. The margin eventually grew to double figures and despite a late rally from the Scots, the Vikings clinched the win at 25-16 to make it a 2-0 start to the Viking Classic.

Three different players had 10 or more kills in the win, led by Hurst and Jaden Julius with 13. Schipper added 10, while Syd Krueger was close behind with nine. Amelie Baehr-Ross continued to fuel the offense with another 40-plus assist match, finishing with 44, while Grace Vranicar posted 23 digs. As a a team, the Vikings tallied 53 kills to the Scots' 31.

With the wins, Augustana improves to 8-3 on the season. The team will be back in action on Saturday against Marian and Luther. Start times for the matches are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.