DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Augustana men's volleyball team hits the road for a conference matchup against the Loras Duhawks on Wednesday, March 1.
The Vikings moved to 8-4 on Saturday after falling to No. 10 North Central at the Carver Center. Augie was defeated in three sets by scores of 25-20, 25-7, 25-21. The conference battle began with a 12-5 burst from North Central before the Vikings responded with an 11-6 run to bring the game within three points. The two teams exchanged three points apiece before the Cardinals pulled away late to secure the opening frame. Augie endured a 15-0 run midway through the second set as North Central breezed to an 18-point victory. The Vikings fell behind by five early in the third game but rallied with eight kills to bring the score to 19-18, favoring North Central. The Cardinals snuffed the comeback with a 6-3 surge to take the set and contest.
Augie battled tough with the ranked opponent, narrowly trailing in kills 31-28 while hitting at a .108 clip on their attempts. Sean Carlson was the Vikings leader in kills with nine, while Aidan Bolen had eight. Augustana notched 30 digs in the contest, led by Max Sellers, who had 12. Matthew Degnan was Augustana's assist leader with 25.
Loras enters Wednesday's contest with a stout 10-1 record. The Duhawks, who have won seven straight games, most recently defeated Dominican (Ill.) 3-2 and will face their first conference test against Augie. Loras was disruptive in the CCIW last year, earning a 9-3 record and advancing to the conference tournament, where they fell to runner-up North Central in four sets.
Augustana holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series over the Duhawks. The Vikings dropped both contests against Loras last season, with the most recent meeting resulting in a 3-0 road loss on March 19, 2022. Bolen led the Viking offense with eight kills, while Josh Van Essen finished narrowly behind with seven. Sellers and Van Essen had double-digit digs with 13 and 10, respectively. Degnan notched a team-high 12 assists.
Start time from Lillis Court is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The stream link can be found here.
