After a 3-5 start to the season, the Vikings were able to claw their way back to a 9-7 record with wins starting to stack up. Now, after back-to-back losses, one of which to conference rival Carroll University, Augustana will need to not only get their first in-conference win, but turn that win into a stretch of them if they look to finish the season with a playoff berth.
As the Vikings sit at 0-3 in conference play, every member of the program knows how important it is to steal as many conference wins as they can. With a three-game stretch of home conference games, they had the perfect chance to right their 0-2 conference start.
Carroll walked into Roy J. Carver Center in a similar situation: A 9-8 record on the season, 0-3 in conference play. While it’s hard to predict the outcome of any matchup, Head Coach Kelly Bethke noted that conference play in the CCIW is particularly unpredictable.
“We have three matches at home against teams I think we match up well with, so I think we could really mix things up a little bit in the conference because we are playing better,” Bethke said. “Anything can happen in conference play. Every night you have to go out and play, whether you’re playing Illinois Wesleyan, who is currently ranked eighth, or you’re playing Carroll, who has traditionally been lower than that. It’s conference. We have to step up.”
The unpredictability of conference play showed on Friday, Oct. 3, as the Vikings dropped all three sets to the Pioneers. The last set in particular was a heartbreaking 25-23 loss, which sealed the Vikings’ defeat.
Even in those tough losses, it’s hard to find a sad face in that locker room. You will instead be met with a face of determination and willingness to grow, which is something that the Vikings have prided themselves on this year. Sophomore middle blocker Elle Jones explained that the culture formed this year has been built on bringing each other up, not tearing anyone down.
“We all support each other through everything, and even if someone makes a mistake, we’re not going to be mad at anyone,” Jones said. “We’re here to support people and work together, whether we win or lose.”
Now that the Vikings dropped their first of three straight home CCIW matches, it is vital that they are able to win these next two against Elmhurst and Millikin University. With only so many conference matchups remaining, that elusive first win continues to evade Augustana.
That fact doesn’t deter sophomore outside hitter Grace Lichthardt and her teammates. They believe that they have what it takes to not only give their in-conference rivals a fight, but also that they’re going to start coming out on top.
“I think it’s just showing everyone in the conference that we can beat them,” Lichtardt said. “We’ve gone against some tough opponents in our conference so far, which has been challenging, but we’re always sticking with them, even if sometimes the score doesn’t show it. So now I just think it’s fighting until the very end and showing people that we are here to win.”
With the second half soon to be underway, Augie only has so much time to turn their performance back around and ensure that, when the playoffs come around, they’ve secured themselves an opportunity to play for a CCIW title. Because, as coach Bethke noted, anything can happen in conference.
