ROCK ISLAND – The Augustana men's volleyball team dropped their contest to No. 10 ranked North Central on Saturday, falling to the Cardinals in three sets by scores of 25-20, 25-7, 25-21. 

The Cardinals surged to a 12-5 lead in the first set before the Vikings roared back with an 11-6 run to narrow the margin to three. The teams exchanged three points before North Central pulled away late to take the first game by five points. The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the series as the Vikings battled through a forgettable second frame, enduring a 15-0 barrage midway through the set. The Vikings were behind 7-2 to begin the third game, but rallied with eight kills to cut the deficit to one at 19-18. The Cardinals secured the set and contest with a late 6-3 scoring burst.

Augie hung tight with North Central at the net, narrowly trailing in kills 31-28 while hitting at a .108 clip on their attempts. Sean Carlson led the way with nine spikes, followed by Aidan Bolen with eight. The Vikings recorded 30 digs in the contest, paced by Max Sellers, who had 12. Matthew Degnan was Augustana's assist leader with 25.

Augustana moves to 8-4, 0-1 in the conference following the loss. For their next matchup, the Vikings will face conference foe Loras on Wednesday, March 1. Start time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from Dubuque, Iowa.