DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team hits the road for the first time this season as they cross the river to battle the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees on Monday, January 29.
The Vikings sit at 3-1 on the season and enter the weekday competition after dropping to the MSOE Raiders in five sets on Saturday, January 27. The first set started with neck-and-neck scoring until the Raiders evened the score at 7-7, but the Vikings took the following three points to create a 10-7 score. Neither team grabbed a lead for more than two points before the Raiders scored the final two points of the game to take the opener by a score of 26-24.
In another back-and-forth set, MSOE found an early advantage with a score of 3-1, but neither squad owned more than a two-point advantage as the score went even five times. The Vikings took a three-point advantage after a kill by Aidan Bolen to generate a 12-9 score and increased the gap to as much as four at 15-11. Both teams tied six additional times until Augie secured the final three points to close out the second 25-22. The Raiders regained the edge in the match, winning the third set 25-16.
The fourth set started with five ties until Augie grabbed a two-point advantage at 7-5. The Raiders eventually caught back up, deadlocking the score at 18 before three more ties ensued. A block from Sean Carlson and a kill from Zach Moreano secured the set and forced a fifth and final frame 25-23. MSOE snagged the fifth by a score of 15-13 to claim the match.
The Bees are currently 1-3 on the season and enter the battle after a three-set loss to UHSP on Saturday. As a team, St. Ambrose hit .066 compared to their opponent who hit .329. Nick Fox led with seven kills and Ethan Chausse had 15 assists. The Bees finished the 2023 season with a 6-21 overall record and 2-6 at home. Both teams have won three times in their all-time series history, with Augie grabbing a 3-0 sweep in their most recent matchup last season in Davenport. Micah Reaban was Augustana's assist leader, tallying 30 in his first three-set appearance of the season.
The first serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
