ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team fell to the No. 10 Carthage Firebirds on Saturday by a score of 3-1. 

The Vikings kicked off the first set with an early lead after a 5-1 run and doubled their advantage after a kill by Colin Schaefer created a 12-6 score. Augie secured a lead of 10 on three occasions and closed out the first set with a final score of 25-17. Carthage answered with a 25-19 win in the second set to make a 1-1 score overall.

In a back-and-forth third set, both teams tied a total of 16 times until Augie faced set point at 24-23. The Firebirds collected the last three points of the game to make it a 27-25 final score and take a 2-1 lead in the match. In another close set, the Vikings held on to a lead early in the game,  but the Firebirds took the fourth set 25-22 to secure a 3-1 win overall. 

Aidan Bolen and Sean Carlson led the Vikings with 12 kills each, while Schaefer had 33 assists. Schaefer also added 11 digs, while Max Sellers had nine. Carlson and Ty Heater both collected four blocks. 

With the loss, Augie moves to 15-4 on the season 2-3 in conference play. The Vikings will hit the road Wednesday, March 20 to battle No. 11 North Central for the second time this season.