BLOOMINGTON, Ill. –
Shannon Bishop (
Sr.-River Grove, Ill.) set a career single-match high for kills and received all-tournament team honors as the Lakeland University women's volleyball team split two matches at the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University Saturday.
Bishop had two big matches attacking, finishing with 34 kills with just three errors in 92 attacks (.337 hitting percentage). She finished with 13 kills in a 25-18, 25-18, 25-12 sweep of Luther (Iowa) College and then piled up a career-high 21 kills as the Muskies lost to Earlham (Ind.) College in five sets, 19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 21-25, 15-8.
Lakeland (6-8 overall) played at a high level in both matches, hitting at a better than .300 rate against both opponents. The Muskies blitzed Luther with 43 kills and just eight errors in 102 swings (.343 attack percentage), and also served a season-high 14 aces.
Abby Baumgartner (
Jr.-Kewaunee, Wis.) and
Megan Goeser (
Jr.-Plymouth, Wis.) also both hit double figures in kills with Baumgartner totaling 11 kills plus a team-high 14 digs and Goeser adding 10 kills with just one error in 19 attacks (.474 hitting percentage).
Neenah Primas (
Jr.-Oostburg, Wis.) also contributed 36 assists,
Allison Byrne (
Sr.-Luxemburg, Wis.) added 11 digs and
Riley Birr (
Fr.-Pulaski, Wis.) finished with seven kills without an error and six service aces.
The Muskies also hit .302 against Earlham with 62 kills and just eight errors in 179 attacks. The Quakers also hit a solid .255, though, and had a trio of heavy hitters with Caroline Mulvihill going for 27 kills, Sarah Dickman also finishing with 20 kills and Julia Stewart adding 17 kills.
Goeser also posted 12 kills against Earlham without an error in 23 attacks (.522 hitting percentage), Baumgartner added 10 kills and Birr added nine. Byrne also finished with a career-high 29 digs and Primas finished with 47 assists. Bishop also posted a career-high six aces, but the Quakers (9-4 overall) jumped to a 7-1 lead in the deciding fifth set and never led by less than four again.
Lakeland now moves into Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play in earnest with its next five matches in conference. The Muskies next will host Alverno College at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
