DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Augustana men's volleyball team remains on the road on Saturday, January 28, when they face the Clarke Pride and the Roosevelt Lakers in their second tri-match of the season.
The Vikings are 0-2, having lost both matches in last weekend's action, falling 3-1 to the MSOE Raiders and 3-0 to the No. 7 SUNY New Paltz Hawks. In the opening match, Augie dropped their first
set but secured the second frame by a 25-23 score.
Aidan Bolen and
Ben Schultz both found success with their attacks, converting on 66 percent of their attempts. The Vikings then dropped the final two frames to fall in their first matchup. In their second match of the day, the Vikings were defeated in three sets by SUNY New Paltz. Augie closed the gap to three points at the 21-18 mark in the second frame before the Hawks secured the set. Bolen led the way with nine kills in the match and was the team leader in digs with six.
Augie will face the Clarke Pride in their first matchup on Saturday. The Pride will begin their 2023 season on Friday against
Cardinal Stritch and Morningside. The program finished the 2022 season with a 7-20 overall record and a 3-15 conference record. Clarke returns all-conference selection Stephen Lewandowski, who scored 252 points and had 180 kills last season. The Vikings opened the 2022 season against Clarke, dropping their first-ever clash against the Pride in five sets on January 15.
In their second contest of their tri-match, the Vikings will face the Roosevelt Lakers, who sport a 1-0 record to kick off their season. The Lakers' first match of the season was against Lakeland on Thursday night, resulting in a 3-0 victory over the Muskies. Roosevelt won all three sets by a combined six points. Shawn McCarthy led the Lakers with 13 kills on 36 attack attempts, hitting at a 22 percent clip. Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Augie and Roosevelt men's volleyball programs.
Start time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. for the first match of the tri-match and 2:00 p.m. for the second contest.
