ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – The MSOE women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of Augustana's Pumpkin Bash Friday evening, topping Simpson 3-1 in the opener before falling to Buena Vista 3-0 in the nightcap.

The Raiders (11-15) snapped a four-match losing streak by downing the Storm (12-18) 25-23, 26-24, 18-25, 25-23 in the opening match. The Beavers (21-10) scored a 25-13, 29-27, 25-18 victory as MSOE was playing its second-straight match.

Against the Storm, sophomore Sarabeth Haworth led the way with 14 kills and 18 digs. Sophomore Maria Bintz was also in double-figures in kills with 12, while adding three service aces.

Freshman Abby Born finished with 35 assists in the first match and added 26 against BVU to move her season total to 943. She is just the fourth player in school history to pass 900 assists in a season and is currently third in school history.

Simpson had four players tally double-digit kills, led by Tabitha Blaser's 12. Three other players finished with 11.

Each of the first two sets were tight, as the first set was back and forth with five lead changes. MSOE took the lead for good with a 5-1 run that erased a slight 19-18 deficit in favor of a 23-20 lead.

In the second set, the Raiders overcame an early deficit with a 5-0 run to play from ahead for much of the frame. Simpson overtook them late at 18-6, but the Red & White responded with a 6-1 run for a 22-19 lead. The Storm caught up at 24-24, but back-to-back kills by sophomore Rachel Lynde closed out the set.

After dropping the third set, MSOE bounced back to claim the match by finishing strong. Four-straight points broke a late 20-20 tie. The Storm managed to fend off three match points, but, in the end, the Raiders prevailed.

Against Buena Vista, the Beavers jumped out to a decisive 1-0 lead with a 25-13 first-set victory. MSOE bounced back to push them to extra points in the second set at 29-27, but fell in three as a 25-18 BVU victory closed out the match.

Haworth and Bintz notched seven kills apiece to lead the Red & White, while Haworth added 14 digs. 

The Raiders continue their season-ending tourney in Rock Island, playing host Augustana at 10 a.m. and Dickinson State at 2 p.m.