PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Maeve Sullivan (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) piled up a career-high 28 digs and the Lakeland University women's volleyball team fought through a slow start to defeat Wisconsin Lutheran College in four sets in its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season finale at the Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Warriors won the opening set before the Muskies rallied for a 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 25-21 victory. Lakeland improved to 14-11 overall and clinched an overall winning record for the season, and in finishing 9-4 in the NACC posted its best conference mark since going 10-2 in 2019 to tie for the regular season title.

Coming into the night the Muskies had already clinched the fifth seed in next week's NACC Tournament, and afterwards they found out their opponent for their quarterfinal match. Lakeland will travel to take on Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon Tuesday at 7 p.m. after the Falcons fell to St. Norbert College in four sets Thursday, making Concordia the No. 4 seed in the tourney.

The Muskies started slowly but overcame WLC (9-15 overall, 5-8 NACC) with big runs in each of the final three sets.

Lakeland dominated the second set, taking the lead early and pulling away after a pair of six-point runs that were part of a 17-4 roll that produced a 23-9 lead at one point. The Muskies then rebounded from an early 8-2 deficit in the fourth set, taking the lead with an 8-0 run and scoring another six in a row later, at one point outscoring Lutheran 22-7 until the Warriors fought off three set points to make the final set score more respectable. Susana Stevens (Jr.-Las Cruces, N.M.) hammered home seven of her 10 kills in the third, with Kelly Swope (Sr.-Heyworth, Ill.) also adding four kills in the set.

The fourth set proved to be the most competitive one of the night, and Wisconsin Lutheran was in position to push the match to a deciding fifth set when consecutive Lakeland attack errors netted the guests an 18-17 lead. The Muskies bounced back with the next five points, including a service ace by Brelynn Scoles (Sr.-Kewaskum, Wis.) plus a kill by Emily Dickmann (Fr.-Grafton, Wis.), one of her six kills from the setter position in the match. Lakeland closed it out on the second match point when a WLC serve went long for an error to end it.

Sullivan topped her career best of 27 digs set last year, while Swope finished with a team-best 12 kills. The Muskies hit .106 as a team with 45 kills and 30 errors, but the defense contributed to a second straight opponent hitting at a negative percentage with the Warriors hitting -.007 with 29 kills and 30 errors.

Roseily Carrasquillo (Jr.-Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) finished with 23 assists and Dickmann added 14 assists. Katie Metzler (Sr.-Kewaunee, Wis.) also added seven kills plus three blocks.

Bailey Haliburton led Wisconsin Lutheran with six kills and four blocks and Emma Incaprero posted 18 assists plus three of the Warriors' nine service aces.