ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - A busy week for Augustana College women's volleyball (5-9, 1-2) began on Tuesday night as the team hosted Wheaton College (6-15, 1-2) for a CCIW matchup. With the match tied 1-1, Augie dropped the final two sets to lose 3-1.
Inside the Box Score
How it Happened
First Set
Augie started set one with three straight points before Wheaton got on the scoreboard. The Thunder managed to get within one, 5-4, but a 4-0 Augustana run bumped their lead up to 9-4. After each scoring once, a five-point run by Wheaton erased the Viking lead and tied the match at 10-10. This led to Augustana calling the match's first timeout.
Out of the pause, neither team could find much breathing room. Wheaton momentarily held a 13-12 lead, but a trio of Augie scores gave them a multi-point lead at 15-13 and forced a Wheaton timeout.
The timeout worked out great for Wheaton, who came out and grabbed four-straight points to jump ahead on the scoreboard, 17-15. A Carmela Carbone ended the Thunder run, but Wheaton came back with consecutive scores to increase their lead to three, 19-16, and cause another Augie timeout.
The teams traded points after the timeout, keeping the Wheaton lead at three. An Augie kill and service ace did bring them back within one, 21-20, but four Wheaton points in a row closed the door on an Augustana comeback. Wheaton took set one 25-20 and now had a 1-0 lead in the match.
Second Set
Neither team found much breathing room to start set two. The first multi-point lead did not come until Augie took a 5-3 lead off a Thunder hitting error. Augustana would tack on another pair of points to build a 7-3 lead and force Wheaton to call a timeout.
Mincheva served up an ace after the timeout to expand Augustana's lead to 8-3, but a 5-0 Wheaton run swiftly tied the set up and led to a Viking timeout. Augustana came out of the break with five straight scores to retake the lead, 13-8. From there, Wheaton grabbed a pair of points to pull back within three, but a 4-1 Augustana spree built their advantage to 17-11 and forced another Wheaton timeout.
Augie's run lasted for another two points following the break as their lead grew to eight, 19-11. A Wheaton kill interrupted the Augustana spree, but the Vikings scored off a service error to prevent Wheaton from making up any more ground. The teams then swapped scores until consecutive Augustana points made it 23-14.
The Thunder grabbed back-to-back points to close the gap a little, but a Lichthardt kill brought the Vikings to set point and a Wheaton attack error ended set two 25-16 in Augie's favor, evening the match at 1-1.
Third Set
The first three points of set three belonged to the Thunder. Augustana got on the board thanks to a Sophia Sommesi kill, and the teams then traded points until it was 5-3. A second straight Augie score closed the deficit to one, but Wheaton got a kill to stay ahead by a pair. Augustana did not let the difference grow to three however thanks to a Kelsey Mathews block.
After the Vikings eventually tied it at 6-6, back-to-back Thunder points gave them a two-point lead back. Wheaton did not see their lead expand past two points until consecutive points made it 11-8. A Sommesi kill eventually brought Augie back within one before a Carbone kill equalized the game at 12-12.
That tie did not last long however. Two-straight Wheaton points meant they held a multi-point lead again at 14-12. The difference stayed in that 1-2 point range until consecutive Wheaton points made it 18-15 and led to an Augustana timeout.
Wheaton's run continued post-timeout until their lead read as 20-15. A service error gave control to the Vikings, but the Thunder resumed their run with another two points to create a 22-17 lead and cause another Augie timeout.
Elle Jones got a kill out of the timeout, but Wheaton followed that up with a kill. Needing a big run to get back in the set, the Vikings scored twice to get back within three, but another Thunder point brought the visitors to set point. A bad set from Wheaton prolonged set three, but a final kill won the set 25-20 in favor of the Thunder, giving them a 2-1 lead in the match.
Fourth Set
Like the third set, Wheaton jumped out to a 3-0 lead in set four, but Augie overcame that early deficit with a 4-1 run. After another tie was had at 5-5 before a Lichthardt kill and Mincheva ace made it 7-5 Augie and led to a Wheaton timeout.
Wheaton scored first after the break, but Augie responded with a three-point spree to up their lead to 10-6. That gap eventually closed to one at 13-12, but a Jones kill prevented Wheaton from tying the set. The Thunder then committed an attack error to bump the Augie lead up to three, leading to a Wheaton timeout.
Following the timeout, Wheaton once again cut the deficit down to one, but Jones struck again to prolong the Augustana lead. That was only momentarily however, as a Wheaton kill and service ace equalized the game at 16-16. Augustana called their first timeout of the set here.
The Viking timeout proved fruitful as the team scored the first two points afterwards. Wheaton hit back to a pair of their own points to create another tie at 18-18. The Thunder continued their run with a third straight kill to take their first lead since it was 5-4. Now trailing 19-18, the Vikings used their second timeout.
Wheaton's run continued after the break with another two points to up their lead to three. Augie briefly got within two, but back-to-back Wheaton points made it 23-19. A bad set by the Thunder brought Augie point number 20, but a bad Augustana set and Thunder kill sealed the 25-20 set win for the visitors and 3-1 match victory.
Up Next
The Vikings get just two days off before they return to action. On Friday, Oct. 9, they host No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan for a 7 p.m. match and Youth Night.
Follow the Vikings
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Augustana women's volleyball by following the team on Twitter at @augieathletics, on Facebook at Augustana Women's Volleyball, and on Instagram at @augie_wvb.
