KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team saw its historic season come to an end in the CCIW Tournament semifinals on Wednesday, falling to the No. 7 ranked Carthage Firebirds by a score of 3-1.

The two teams went back and forth to kick off the match, with the Vikings breaking away early for a 7-3 advantage. Augie held two additional four-point leads, but the Firebirds later used six straight rally wins to turn a two-point deficit into a four-point cushion at 15-11. The Vikings fought back to pull within two, but the home team hung on for the 25-21 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Augustana evened the score with a close victory in set two. For the second straight frame, the Vikings were the first to 10 points, but a quick spurt from the Firebirds evened the score at 11. Augie countered with a scoring run of its own and extended its advantage out to as many as five at 18-13 before weathering another late rally from Carthage. Up by just one at 23-22 and 24-23, the Vikings saw kills from Ben Schultz and Ty Heater to fend off the Firebirds and steal set two by a score of 25-23. Carthage trailed for just one rally in the third, using an 8-0 run mid-set to help move them back out in front in the match with a 25-18 win. 

The fourth set was a game of runs early on, but the home team bounced back early and reclaimed the lead at 8-7. Carthage never lost the advantage the rest of the way despite Augustana pulling within a point on three different occasions, with the latest coming at 23-22. A service error from the Vikings and a kill from the Firebirds sealed the win by a score of 25-22.

Aidan Bolen led the Vikings with 13 kills in the defeat, followed by nine from Schultz. Colin Schaefer added 34 assists, while Max Sellers had 10 digs. Schultz also tallied four blocks.

Augustana ends its season with an 18- 7 overall record, the most wins in program history. The .720 winning percentage is also good for a program best.