KENOSHA, Wis. – The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team will travel to face the No. 9 ranked Carthage Firebirds in their regular-season finale on Saturday, April 8.

The Vikings hold a 12-11 record, 2-7 in conference, with their most recent action resulting in a 3-1 victory over North Park on Wednesday by set scores of 22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-22. Augie held a slight edge for much of the opening game, leading 16-13 before a 7-3 rally from North Park helped clinch the set 25-22. The Vikings evened the series in game two, flipping the set in their favor with a late 9-2 surge after trailing 18-15. Augie jumped to 10-5 advantages in each of the final two frames, taking set three by nine points before shutting the door on a late North Park comeback attempt in game four with a 2-1 burst to win 25-22. 

The Vikings recorded 44 kills and hit at a .131 clip, led by Aidan Bolen with 13 kills and Sean Carlson with 10. Max Sellers secured 19 digs for a match-high, notably eclipsing 500 in his Augie career. 

Carthage currently possesses a 15-6 record, 7-2 in conference, with their most recent action resulting in a 3-0 defeat to the No. 6 ranked North Central Cardinals by set scores of 25-22, 25-23, 25-22. The Firebirds nabbed a 15-13 advantage midway through the opening game, but an 8-2 run helped push the Cardinals to a set one triumph. The second set was another close affair, with North Central breaking an 18-18 tie late to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The final game was knotted up late at 20 apiece, but a game point service ace secured the sweep for the visiting Cardinals. 

Carthage holds a 10-0 advantage over Augustana in the all-time series, with their early-season meeting on March 15 resulting in a 3-0 victory for the Firebirds by set scores of 25-17, 27-25, 25-18. Carthage broke away to take game one with a 6-1 scoring burst while holding a 15-14 lead before a tight second set. The two teams battled to a 9-9 deadlock before the Firebirds ran out to a 20-15 advantage midway through the frame. Augie stormed back, fighting off two set points to tie the game at 24 all before Carthage secured the victory with a kill and an attack error. The Firebirds quickly took control of game three, holding their edge through the remainder of the game to claim the road match. Carlson led the Vikings with nine kills, while Matthew Degnan and Sellers each nabbed seven digs. 

Start time for the conference battle is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. from Tarble Arena. Stream link can be found here.