MEQUON, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team came back in the fifth set to secure a 3-2 victory over the Concordia (Wis.) Falcons on Saturday, winning the match with set scores of 25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 16-25, and 15-10.
In the first set, both teams drew even twice before three consecutive points by the Falcons secured the early advantage. A four-point run from Augie snatched the 11-9 lead after kills by Ben Schultz and Ryan Huntington to go along with two Concordia errors. The Vikings maintained the lead and created the largest gap of four with three consecutive points to take the first set 25-21.
In another close set, both teams tied nine times before four consecutive points from Augie secured a three-point lead. The Vikings got up by as many as six points after a kill by Cole Clarke to make a 17-11 score. Concordia inched closer and got within three on multiple occasions, but a kill by Sean Carlson secured the second set, 25-21.
In the third, the Falcons grabbed an early lead and was followed by two draws before Concordia stretched the lead back out to three. Both teams drew even five additional times, but back-to-back kills from Augie swapped the lead with a 14-12 score. Five more ties occurred in the set, with the Falcons breaking away from the final deadlock of 18-18 with a 7-3 scoring run to extend the match. Concordia collected a nine-point win in the fourth to force a final frame.
In the fifth, the teams tied twice before Concordia collected the slight advantage with a score of 4-2. A four-point run by Augie moved the Vikings out in front, but the Falcons countered with two of their own to tie the game back up. A service error by the Falcons and a service ace by Zach Moreano allowed the Vikings to sit at 8-6 at the switch before ending the set on a 7-3 run to take it by a score of 15-10.
As a team, Augie hit .214 percent while holding Concordia to .190 percent. Carlson secured a career-high of 21 kills, while Schultz blocked five attempts and Zaccary Ruiz notched 17 digs. Colin Schaefer also secured a career-high of 47 assists.
With the win, Augie moves to 5-3 on the season and returns to action on Saturday, February 8 to host Wittenberg at Pleasant Valley High School.
