GLENDALE, Wis. -- The Augustana men's volleyball team traveled to the MSOE tri-match in Wisconsin on Saturday. The Vikings dropped both contests, falling 3-1 to the MSOE Raiders and 3-0 to the No. 7 SUNY New Paltz Hawks.

In their first match of the day, the Vikings faced a quick start from the Raiders, falling behind 13-5 early in the set. Behind Aiden Bond's serves, Augie retaliated, winning three consecutive points to cut the deficit. MSOE pulled away in the latter half, securing a 25-13 victory. Augie responded with a tight 25-23 triumph in the second frame to even the match at one win apiece. The Vikings then dropped their remaining two sets to the Raiders, 25-16 and 25-13. Aidan Bolen and Ben Schultz found attack success, with both players hitting at a 66 percent rate. 

Bolen led the way with eight kills in the match, followed by four apiece from Zach Moreano and Tom Lamb. Matthew Degnan added 17 assists, while Max Sellers was the team leader in digs with nine.

In their second contest of the tri-match, the Vikings fell to No. 7 ranked New Paltz by a 3-0 set score. The opening game saw the Hawks win 25-13 with New Paltz finding their stride midway through, going on an 11-2 run to put the Vikings on the backfoot. Augustana played a much tighter second frame, closing the gap to as little as three at the 21-18 mark before dropping the frame. Bolen led the Vikings' attack line, notching three kills on six attempts. The third set started slow for Augie as the Hawks jumped to an early 10-2 lead. New Paltz eventually claimed the match win following a 25-9 set triumph.

Bolen led the way with nine kills in the match, and was the team leader in digs with six. Degnan added 17 assists

Augie falls to 0-2 as they open their season. The team will be back in action next Saturday, January 28, when they travel to Dubuque to face the Clarke Pride and Roosevelt Lakers in a tri-match. Start time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. from the Kehl Center.