There's no place like home.

The Falcons sweep of Augsburg marks the eighth consecutive win at the Karges Center dating back to last year. The crowd was out in full support and the atmosphere was electric in the Falcons home opener on Wednesday night.

Although the Falcons swept the match 3-0 (25-16, 28-26, 25-21), the crowd got a chance to see a little bit of everything.

Set one was a one-sided, dominating performance by the Falcons as they cruised to a 25-16 win, never trailing to the visiting Auggies and hitting .400 in the set.

The next set started out as a polar opposite as the Falcons fell behind early 14-5. The Karges Center crowd got behind the Falcons and watched them rally for an 18-9 run to tie the score at 23. After surrendering the following point, the Falcons fought off one set point and never trailed again taking the second set 28-26 and retaining complete control of the match.

The third set was a back-and-forth battle until the end. In the final set there were three lead changes and 11 ties as once again the Falcons came from behind for victory. After trailing 12-8 early, the Falcons crept back tying the score at 14-14. The Falcons would never trail again, taking the final set 25-21 and posting their first sweep of 2010.

The victory extends the Falcons home winning streak and hopefully puts an end to the recent struggles against the MIAC. Heading into tonight's matchup, the Falcons had dropped seven of eight to the neighboring conference to the West. This win puts the border battle in a more positive light as the Falcons have took the last two of three from one of volleyball's premier conferences – the MIAC.

Wednesday marked the best offensive performance of the season for the Falcons as they hit .359 as a team. The Falcons were only attacking at .159 heading into the home opener, but the young squad made huge strides putting up 41 kills and just eight attack errors.

Danielle Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, MN, Cretin-Derham Hall) lead the way both offensively and defensively for the Falcons. Gibbemeyer had a match-high 13 kills and also lead the Falcons with 13 digs. Erin Green (Fridley, MN, Fridley) also played a major role in the victory as she had 12 kills to go with her two solo blocks and five block assists.

Sophomore sensation, Courtney Preiner (Oakdale, MN, Hill-Murray) once again put on a display at the libero position racking up 12 more digs to her season total. Preiner is averaging an astounding 5.95 digs per set which currently ranks second in the WIAC.

Getting things started for the Falcons were two familiar faces in the setter position with Mackenzie Suda (Ham Lake, MN, Blaine) and Hayley Buchanan (Eden Prairie, MN, Eden Prairie). The pair of sophomores combined for 35 of the team's 36 assists. Suda had a team best 19, while Buchanan added 16. Buchanan also accounted for 12 of the team's 61 digs in the match.

This young Falcons team is loaded with underclassmen and playing at an exceptionally high level this early in the season which will make for an exciting couple of years in River Falls.

Up next, the Falcons will travel to St. Peter, Minn., for the Gustavus Adolphus Classic this weekend. On Friday the Falcons will play Carleton at 5 p.m., and Martin Luther at 7 p.m.

Box Score