Augustana College Vikings (3-2 overall)
at Lakeland University Muskies (2-3 overall)
Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023Â Â Noon & 2:30 p.m.
Woltzen Gymnasium
Lakeland/Augustana Match Notes   PDF
Lakeland University and Augustana (Ill.) College meet for just the second time in men's volleyball when the Muskies host the Vikings Friday night during dinnertime at 6 p.m.
Broadcast Information: (note video link change for tonight)
Series history:Â 2nd meeting, Lakeland leads 1-0
The Muskies and Vikings have met just one prior time, nearly five years ago on March 3, 2018. Lakeland prevailed at home in four sets, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 27-25, with Cam Ekum and Dakota Hunter both finishing with 12 kills each and Desmond Williams adding 10 kills. The match was part of Augustana's inaugural season as a varsity program.
Lakeland last time out: Defeated Olivet (Mich.) 3-0; Lost to Olivet 3-2 Sunday
The Muskies last played on Sunday with a pair of closely contested matches with the Comets. Lakeland won the opener 25-22, 25-23, 25-22 but lost the second 19-25, 25-18, 25-14, 18-25, 15-10. The teams were tied 24 times and swapped the lead 14 times in the first match, but
Ben Busalacchi posted nine kills and 10 digs and
Colin Kenney added eight kills, seven digs and three service aces to lead the Muskies. Lakeland rallied from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth set in the second match, but a 7-5 lead near the midway point of the final set slipped away as Olivet finished on a 10-3 run.
Hunter Henson led the Muskies with a season-high 16 kills in the nightcap and
Chase Anderson added a season-best 31 assists.
Busalacchi also finished with one service ace in the second match, and with that ace moved into sole possession of fifth on Lakeland's varsity all-time list for career aces with 60. Busalacchi also has entered the top 10 in program history in kills with 328.
Augustana last time out: Won at Edgewood 3-0 last night
The Vikings cruied to a convincing win in Madison last night against Lakeland's Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference rival, handling the Eagles 25-18, 25-13, 25-14. Augustana hit a robust .419 for the match with 33 kills and just seven errors, and was led by a remarkable individual performance. Aidan Bolen was nearly automatic with 17 kills without an error in 20 attacks for an .850 hitting percentage, a school record and the top single-match hitting percentage in NCAA Division III this season. Nick Hanusiak also added five blocks (one solo, four assisted), and the Vikings never trailed in any set in improving to 3-2 overall on the season.
About the Vikings: Augustana College visits from Rock Island, Ill., part of the Quad Cities straddling the Illinois and Iowa borders on the Mississippi River. The school also is one of two Upper Midwest schools named Augustana with teams known as the Vikings-NCAA Division II Augustana University's Vikings hail from Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Vikings are in their sixth year as a varsity program and with a 3-2 record have tied for the best mark through six matches in the program's short history. Augustana finished 7-17 a year ago and posted a 3-9 record in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Head Coach Mike Ducey is in his fourth year leading the program, including leading Augie to winning seasons in 2020 and 2021.
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