ROCK ISLAND — The Augustana men's volleyball team returns to the Carver Center, opening their conference slate against the No. 10 ranked North Central Cardinals on Saturday, February 25.

The Vikings moved to 8-3 following Wednesday night's victory over St. Ambrose in Davenport, Iowa. They dropped the Fighting Bees 3-0 by set scores of 25-20, 25-21, and 25-18. The cross-river contest began with a 10-10 deadlock in the opening set before Augustana's 7-3 run broke the set open. The Vikings secured the game with a 4-1 burst, aided by back-to-back spikes from Ben Schultz. The second frame saw St. Ambrose jump to a 6-3 lead early, holding the advantage until the two teams knotted up at 18. After exchanging service wins, Augie would seize the set with five consecutive points to emerge victorious. Augustana never trailed in the final game and comfortably secured the series sweep. 

The Vikings dominated St. Ambrose at the net, out-gaining the Fighting Bees 38-22 in total kills, hitting at a .338 clip on their attempts. Zach Moreano and Aidan Bolen each earned nine kills, while Schultz finished just behind with eight. Josh Van Essen led Augie in digs with five, and seven other players recorded at least one. Micah Reaban was Augustana's assist leader, tallying 30 in his first three-set appearance of the season. 

North Central holds a 9-3 record this season and also opens their conference schedule on Saturday. The Cardinals have won seven of their last eight contests and are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Trine, winning by set scores of 25-18, 25-15, 25-19. North Central hit at a .333 clip on their attempts while edging the Thunder 45-21 in total kills. 

The Cardinals hold an 8-1 advantage over Augustana in the all-time series, with the most recent matchup between the two programs coming on March 23, 2022, in Rock Island. Augie was defeated in the contest 3-1, hanging tight with the Cardinals until the fourth frame. The Vikings out-blocked the Cardinals in the game 5-2 and hit at a .209 clip. Aiden Bond was the kill leader for Augustana in the contest, notching 11, with Van Essen and Bolen earning seven apiece. 

Start time for the conference bout is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The stream link can be found here.