BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings women's volleyball team saw its season come to an end Tuesday night, falling in the CCIW Tournament quarterfinals to the Illinois Wesleyan Titans by a score of 3-1.

The Titans grabbed the early advantage in the match with a 25-15 opening-set win, breaking away from an 8-7 score with a 9-2 scoring run. In the second, a fast start for the home team proved to be the difference maker, earning eight of the first nine points scored to gain the early momentum. Augie slowly chipped away at the deficit, trimming it to as little as three on multiple instances, with the latest coming at 21-18 before Illinois Wesleyan secured the set win with a 4-1 scoring surge.

Augustana bounced back with a win in set three. It was a back-and-forth battle to start, but the Vikings erased an early hole with a 6-0 run to take a 10-6 lead. The team then saw a run from the Titans, with the score eventually coming to a 13-13 tie. Six of the next seven scores went in favor of Augustana as they held a lead through the remainder of the game. Kills down the stretch from Izzy Ehrlich, Syd Krueger, and Emily Schipper helped fend off a late Titans rally to complete the 25-21 win.

Neither team saw a lead of more than two for a good portion of the fourth set until Illinois Wesleyan pulled out in front late. Trailing 17-15, the Vikings scored twice thanks to a kill from Jaden Julius and an error from the Titans. Illinois Wesleyan broke away from the deadlock, notching the next five points. Consecutive kills from Augie pulled them back within three, but two in a row from the home team gave them match point.
The Titans tallied the clinching point three rallies later to win by a 25-21 final.

Schipper and Julius both cracked double figures in kills to lead the Vikings, finishing with 12 and 10, respectively. Grace Vranicar secured 35 digs.

The loss ends the 2023 season for Augustana. The Vikings finish with a 23-8 record, their best mark since the 2016 season.