LISLE, Ill. –
Allison Errthum (
Fr.-Joliet, Ill.) led a balanced attack with 11 kills and the Lakeland College women's volleyball team swept Benedictine (Ill.) University in three sets Saturday afternoon at the Rice Center.
The Muskies earned an important Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win, creeping within a half game of the Eagles in the conference standings. Lakeland also gained a split of its road trip to the Chicagoland area, defeating Benedictine 16 hours after having lost a four-set match to Aurora (Ill.) University.
The Muskies' 25-18, 25-23, 25-17 win over the Eagles included four players finishing with at least seven kills. Errthum led the way with a double-double that also included 11 digs, while
Kathy Flanagan (
So.-Midlothian, Ill.),
Brittini Scoles (
Fr.-Kewaskum, Wis.),
Jenna Ward (
Jr.-Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) all added seven kills each.
Lakeland (10-14 overall, 3-3 NACC) hit at a .124 clip, with 36 kills and 20 errors in 129 attacks. Benedictine (6-18 overall, 4-3 NACC), on the other hand, hit a negative percentage, with 19 kills and 24 errors in 114 attempts yielding a -.044 attack percentage.
Caleigh Galvan (
Jr.-New Lenox, Ill.) led the defense with 23 digs and also gave the offense a jolt with five service aces.
Taylor Levitt (
So.-Schaumburg, Ill.) also added 29 assists and nine digs.
The Muskies showed resilience in the way they followed up their Friday night match against Aurora. Lakeland won the first set handily but then saw the match slip away quickly, losing in four sets 18-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-7.
The Muskies hit .290 in the first set but then -.035 the rest of the way. Lakeland also had little success on the block, finishing with just three blocks while the Spartans (18-7 overall, 4-1 NACC) hit .279 for the match with 39 kills and just eight attack errors.
Errthum led the way with seven kills, Galvan posted 23 digs and Levitt set the offense with 25 assists. Ward also added three service aces and was second on the team with 10 digs.
The Muskies now face a three-match homestand next week that is critical to the team's hopes for a berth in the NACC Tournament. Lakeland begins that stretch by hosting Milwaukee School of Engineering on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
