Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The Augustana Vikings women's volleyball team traveled to Coe College on Friday to compete in the Mabel Lee Invitational, winning a pair of matches over Illinois College and No. 23 Coe to improve their record to 6-0 on the season.

Match One (W 3-1 vs. Illinois College)

In the first contest of the day, the first set was all Augustana as they quickly doubled up Illinois College 10-5 on their way to a 13-point victory. The margin grew to as many as 11 points before a late 6-1 spurt brought the opening game to its 25-12 final. Another fast start in set two helped the Vikings grab a 2-0 advantage in the match. Following an Illinois College point to begin the game, Augie rattled off six in a row to quickly establish momentum. The lead for the Vikings dwindle down to one at one point, but quickly jumped back out to seven thanks to another scoring run that featured a string of three straight attack errors from the Lady Blues.

After Illinois College stole the third set by a score of 25-23, the Vikings answered with 25-18 victory to earn their fifth win of the season in as many tries. 

Match Two (3-2 vs. No. 23 Coe)

In the night cap, the Vikings squared off with the host team and No. 23 Kohawks. The home team came out red hot, tallying nine of the match's first 10 points. The Vikings slowly chipped away, eventually using a 6-0 run to turn an 11-5 deficit into an even deadlock. From there, the two teams battled back-and-forth, with neither team holding a lead over three the rest of the way. Coe was in control for most of the match, but a late Augie spurt put the Vikings up 23-21. Four consecutive rally wins for the Kohawks gave them the set one win and a 1-0 lead in the match. 

Another tight battle ensued in game two, this time featuring a big lead from the Vikings at 9-3. Coe fought back on multiple occasions, getting within a single point six different times before finally jumping out in front 22-21. Augie flipped the script, scoring three of the next four to set up set point, but the Kohawks knotted the score back up at 24 points apiece to extend the frame. After the two teams traded points, a kill from Syd Krueger and an attack error from the Kohawks lifted the Vikings to the equalizing set win to bring the match score at one win apiece.

Augie broke the 1-1 deadlock in the match with the contest's only set win that was not decided by two points, winning game three by a score of 25-20. The two squads traded small scoring bursts early before Coe turned a 12-9 deficit into a 15-13 lead. Consecutive kills from Krueger and Leah Rizzo halted the moment, bringing the score back to even with just 10 points to go for each team. Following another tie four rallies later, Augustana broke away once and for all, capping off an 8-3 run to close the set with a service ace from Amelie Baehr-Ross and back-to-back kills from Jaden Julius. Another back-and-forth battle in the fourth saw a late push from Coe, taking three of the final four points scored to hang on for another two-point win and force a fifth and final game.

The Vikings never trailed in the fifth set, jumping out to a quick 6-1 cushion before pushing the differential out to seven at 11-4. The home team made it a game down the stretch, eventually cutting the score to a single point at 14-13, but a kill from Emily Schipper prevented any opportunity to extend the set, giving the Vikings a 3-2 win. 

Schipper and Julius were the top performers on offense for the Vikings, finishing with 17 and 12 kills. Schipper also added 16 digs and four blocks. Augustana was outstanding on the defensive end, finishing with 11 blocks as a team and 103 digs, holding the Kohawks to a hitting percentage of just .143. Grace Vranicar anchored the defense with a match-high 34 digs, followed by Rizzo with 19. Five different Vikings tallied double-digit digs in the contest.

With the victory, the Vikings are now 6-0 for the first time since the 1999 season. The team will return to action on Wednesday, September 13 for their CCIW opener when they host Wheaton.