DE PERE, Wis. – The Lakeland University women's volleyball team lost back-to-back sets that went down to the wire and was unable to recover in a four-set loss to St. Norbert College Friday night at the Mulva Family Fitness Center.
A first set win wasn't enough as the Muskies fell to the Green Knights 17-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-19. Lakeland continues to hang around the .500 mark in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference at 4-4 and 10-12 overall.
The Muskies controlled the first set on the way to an easy win to open the match, but it was the second and third sets that proved pivotal. The second set in particular saw a late 20-17 lead slip away, though Lakeland saved one set point and appeared to have saved a second at 25-24. Officials came together for a conference after the play, though, and after several minutes called a replay, and St. Norbert (12-8 overall, 7-1 NACC) took advantage with a kill on the next point.
The third set also included 17 ties and eight lead changes, and the Muskies answered a late Green Knights run by staving off three straight set points to tie at 24-24. The Green Knights received a kill and then a service ace from Brooke Clement, though, to close out the set, and the hosts carried that momentum to an early 11-5 lead in the fourth set on the way to victory.
Lakeland hit a solid .237 for the match with 58 kills and 21 errors, but the Muskies slowed down after hitting .385 in the opening set and .294 in the second.
Susana Stevens (So.-Las Cruces, N.M.) led with 16 kills,
Brelynn Scoles (
Jr.-Kewaskum, Wis.) finished with 12 kills and
Isabella Westerholm (
So.-Prior Lake, Minn.) added ten kills.
Emily Duchow (
Sr.-Potter, Wis.) finished with 41 assists and
Maeve Sullivan (
Jr.-Chicago, Ill.) led the defense with 23 digs. Scoles and
Kelly Swope (
Jr.-Heyworth, Ill.) added 14 digs each.
Rylie Gregg posted 15 kills and Clement added 14 for St. Norbert, which hit .245 for the match. Ellie Hartson also added 51 assists.
Lakeland is home Saturday for a triangular at the Woltzen Gymnasium that includes a key conference match with Benedictine University at noon. The Muskies also face Carroll University at 4 p.m., while Benedictine and Carroll will square off at 2 p.m.
