DAVENPORT, Iowa – The Augustana Vikings men's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought four-set match Tuesday night, falling 3–1 to St. Ambrose inside Lee Lohman Arena. After winning the second set, the Vikings held key leads in both the third and fourth before the Bees closed out the match, 25–20, 22–25, 25–23, and 25–23.

Augustana opened the night with strong momentum, building an early 8–4 lead behind kills from Ryan Huntington and Alexander Sulewski. The Vikings later extended their advantage to 10–6, forcing St. Ambrose to respond. The Bees answered with a run to take the lead, but Augustana stayed within reach, cutting the deficit to 23–20 late following another Huntington kill. St. Ambrose secured the final two points to take the opening set.

The Vikings responded in the second with their most complete stretch of the match. With the score tied at 15, Tom Lamb delivered a service ace to give Augustana the lead, sparking a run that included kills from Huntington, Aidan Bolen, and Sulewski. Augustana extended its advantage to 24–20, putting the set within reach. St. Ambrose trimmed the lead to two, but Lamb delivered the set-clinching kill to secure the 25–22 win and even the match.

Augustana carried that momentum into the third and built one of its largest leads of the night. Kills from Sulewski, Bolen, and Cole Clarke helped the Vikings move in front 20–16, putting Augustana in position to take control of the match. St. Ambrose responded with a five-point run to regain the lead. Augustana tied the set at 21 following a kill from Huntington, but the Bees scored four of the final six points to take the set, 25–23.

The fourth set saw another opportunity for the Vikings. Augustana built a 16–14 lead midway through the frame behind kills from Bolen and Huntington. St. Ambrose answered with a run to retake the lead, but Augustana continued to fight back. A kill from Clarke and another from Sulewski helped cut the deficit to 24–23, bringing the Vikings within one point of extending the match. The Bees secured the final point to close out the set and the match.

Huntington led the Vikings with 15 kills while hitting .652. Sulewski and Bolen each added 11 kills, while Clarke finished with nine. Lamb contributed eight kills and a service ace while hitting .615.

Colin Schaefer directed the offense with 47 assists, helping Augustana hit .393 as a team. Bolen led the Vikings with four digs, while Schaefer and Huntington added three each.

The Vikings fall to 4–3 on the season. They host No. 20 North Central on Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. inside the Roy J. Carver Center to open conference play.