ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The Augustana Vikings volleyball team battled through a five-set Friday night match, falling 3–2 to the non-conference opponent Benedictine Eagles by scores of 25–21, 18–25, 23–25, 25–19, and 10–15.

Augustana opened the first set strong behind an early kill from Alexis Richards and a service ace from Kacie Swanson to grab a 2–1 edge. The Vikings extended the lead to 5–2 after a Mallory Coley finish and an ace from Abby Kirchner, forcing Benedictine into early adjustments. The visitors answered with a 7–0 run to take a 9–5 advantage, but Augie quickly responded behind Richards and freshman Grace Lichthardt, who notched consecutive kills followed by Coley to pull within 9–11. A pair of front-row blocks from Coley and Alita Folkening sparked another push, trimming the deficit to one at 11–12 before back-to-back kills from Coley and Richards, assisted by Leah Rizzo, leveled the score at 14–14. Swanson followed with her second ace of the set to give the Vikings a 15–14 lead, their first since the opening points. Benedictine briefly reclaimed momentum, but the Vikings countered late behind Lichthardt's third and fourth kills of the frame, followed by a strong finish from Folkening to tie it at 21–21. Richards then hammered home a kill to put Augie back in front before a Benedictine attack error extended the lead to 23–21. Lanah Queckboerner sealed the set with a service ace and a kill on the final two points, capping a 6–2 closing run to secure the 25–21 victory.

Benedictine opened the second set with an early surge, capitalizing on Augie miscues to build a 4–0 lead before an Eagles error allowed Coley to finish an assist from Rizzo. Carmela Carbone would hammer a kill to make it 3-7. Later in the set after a kill from Folkening the Vikings would find themselves down 5-12. Coley added another kill to keep the deficit within reach, and Carbone followed with a strike that cut it to 8–18. From there, the Vikings began to roll. A service ace from Alexis Richards and a string of Benedictine errors fueled a 6–0 run that pulled Augie within 14–19. The Vikings continued to press, capitalizing on two Eagle miscues and a kill from Gustafson to narrow the margin to 15–20. Freshman Eva Zimmerman added a kill to make it 17–23, and Coley powered home a kill late in the set to keep the Vikings alive at 24–18. Despite Augustana's late surge and balanced offensive push, Benedictine held on for the final point to take the frame 25–18 and even the match at one set apiece.

Benedictine opened the third set with a 5–0 run before Folkening got Augustana started with a kill from Rizzo. The Vikings found their footing soon after, with a block by Coley and Carbone sparking energy at the net. Swanson followed with an ace, and a Benedictine error helped pull Augie within one. Richards then connected on a Rizzo assist to tie the frame at 5–5, and Coley added another finish moments later to even it again at 6–6. From there, Queckboerner and Jones provided back-to-back kills to push the Vikings ahead 8–7, capping an 8–1 rally. The Eagles responded with a series of points to regain control, but Augustana countered midway through the set behind a Coley kill and a Queckboerner ace to close the gap to 13–16. Rizzo then delivered a kill from the back row, and Swanson followed with her second ace of the frame to make it 16–18. After a short Benedictine run, Lichthardt hammered down a kill and Gustafson added another late to keep the Vikings within striking distance at 19-23. Richards found a timely service ace, and Carbone added one of her own to pull Augustana to 23–24 after trailing by as many as six. Despite the late surge, Benedictine secured the final point to edge the Vikings 25–23 and take the match lead 2-1.

Augustana came out sharp in the fourth set, responding to an early Benedictine point with kills from Alita Folkening and Alexis Richards to take a 2–1 edge. A ball-handling error from the Eagles extended the lead to 3–1 before Folkening struck again from the middle to make it 4–2. Richards continued to pace the attack with another kill, while Jones and Carbone combined for a block to keep the Vikings in front 6–5. Folkening and Richards each found the floor again, and Queckboerner added a finish from the outside to spark a 5–2 stretch that pushed the lead to 12–10. Carbone chipped in with a kill off a Rizzo feed, and Queckboerner's block with Carbone stretched the margin to 16–13. After a short Eagles run that would see them take the lead 16-17, Queckboerner would find a kill that sparked a 4-0 run fueled by Benedictine errors. Freshman Carli Udovich then delivered her first kill of the night to make it 22–17, followed by a Richards finish and another Folkening strike to reach set point. A Benedictine service error sealed the frame 25–19, giving Augustana the set and sending the match to a fifth set.

In the deciding fifth set, Benedictine raced out to an early 4–1 lead before a block from Richards and Carbone helped Augustana fill the board. The Eagles continued to press, stretching their advantage to 8–2 at the switch, but the Vikings refused to fold. After an Eagles error, Jones delivered back-to-back kills to cut the deficit in half, followed by a sharp finish from Lanah Queckboerner to make it 8–6. After Benedictine regained a three-point cushion, Lichthardt and Folkening each found the floor to keep Augie within striking distance at 9–10. Despite the late rally and a strong effort from Folkening, Benedictine managed to close out the set with a 5–1 run to seal the 15–10 decision and the match victory.

Richards led Augustana with 13 kills and added 19 digs and two service aces. Folkening followed with nine kills on a .533 hitting percentage, while Coley chipped in nine kills and three blocks. Queckboerner totaled five kills, 16 digs, and two aces, and Lichthardt contributed six kills to round out a balanced attack. Rizzo and Kirchner combined for 44 of the team's 50 assists, with Rizzo notching 25 and Kirchner 19, while Swanson anchored the back row with eight digs and a team-best four aces. Carbone added three kills, two aces, and a pair of blocks, while Katelyn Turley provided steady defense with seven digs. Gustafson chipped in three kills on .273 hitting in limited action.

With the result, Augustana drops to 10–11 overall and 1–4 in CCIW play. The Vikings will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 22, traveling to face North Central.