GRINNELL, Iowa -- The Augustana Vikings women's volleyball team collecteed a pair of five-set wins Friday night, defeating both the Loras Duhawks and Grinnell Pioneers by a score of 3-2.
Against the Duhawks, the Vikings claimed the first two sets for the early advantage, beginning in set one with a 25-23 victory. After controlling a good portion of the frame, Augie endured a big run from Loras that saw them take a 15-14 lead. From there, the two teams traded rally wins and neither saw a lead of more than a point until the Vikings used a 3-0 spurt to move back out in front 21-19. The scoring run continued with another 3-1 outburst to set up set point, but the Duhawks countered with three in a row to get within one. An attack error from Loras allowed Augustana to steal the frame. Emily Schipper accounted for the final four kills for the Vikings.
Set two was all Vikings, cruising to a 25-7 triumph. After quickly establishing an early lead at 7-4, Augustana rattled off seven points in a row to bring its margin out to double figures. Following a tally by Loras, the Vikings closed out the set with an 11-2 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Duhawks did not go away quietly, answering with consecutive 25-23 wins to force a fifth and deciding game.
In the fifth, Loras scored the first point and quickly doubled up Augie at 4-2. Like they did all game, the Vikings used another timely run, this time a 5-0 spurt to claim their first lead. The outburst for Augie continued after Loras halted it with a rally win, scoring three of the next four to reach 10 points first. The Duhawks threatened with a small run to cut it to 11-9, but two kills from Carli Udovich and an ace from Ashley Awbrey pulled the team away for good as they held on for the five-point victory.
Schipper led all players with 22 kills on .290 hitting in the win, while Kyle Collachia added 22 assists and 14 digs.
In the final match of the day vs. Grinnell, the Vikings jumped out in front with a 25-19 opening-set win, trailing just once throughout. Augie saw its lead grow out to five at 15-10 before pushing it to the largest of the game at 20-13. The Pioneers got the differential back down to five on three separate occasions, but a kill from Carmela Carbone gave Augie the final point and stopped any potential comeback threats.
Grinnell bounced back with a 26-24 victory in the second before taking the lead in the match with a 25-17 decision in the third. In the fourth, Augustana fought back from an early five-point deficit and eventually evened the score at 16 apiece. The home team saw two leads of three points down the stretch, with the latest coming at 20-17, but a 6-1 run from the Vikings forced a Grinnell timeout. A kill by Mallory Coley and an attack error from the Pioneers pushed the match to a fifth set with a 25-22 score.
The Pioneers grabbed the first point of the final frame, but that was the only lead they owned as the Vikings countered with eight in a row to take control. Augie never saw its lead dip below six, running away with the 15-8 win to seal the 3-2 victory.
Schipper again led the way with 21 kills offensively, while Collachia posted 29 assists. Four Vikings had double-digit digs, with Awbrey collecting 25 and Alexis Richards notching 17. Udovich and Carbone both also hit over .300 each in the win. As a team, Augie hit .201 while holding Grinnell to a .169 mark.
With the victories, Augustana improves to 5-6 on the season. The team will be back in action on Wednesday vs. Wheaton.
