AURORA, Ill. – Aurora University was in charge almost from start to finish and the Lakeland University women's volleyball team saw its season end with a three-set loss in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday night.

The Spartans prevailed 25-15, 25-8, 25-14 as the fifth-seeded Muskies could get little going and finished their season with a 10-19 overall record. No. 4 seed Aurora advanced to a semifinal match against top seed Edgewood College Thursday night in Madison.

The Spartans hit a red-hot .368 as a team for the match with 50 kills and just 11 errors, while the Muskies struggled to generate any consistent scoring. Lakeland finished with 18 kills against 11 errors (.071 hitting percentage) and also posted two blocks and one service ace.

Lakeland played from behind almost all night, never leading in the first half and only holding brief leads in the second and third sets. The Muskies never scored more than two consecutive points in any set, while Aurora went on long runs in all three sets, including strings of eight and later 10 points in the second set alone.

Lakeland's closest challenge in a set came in the third, when the Muskies trailed 11-9 near the halfway point. Aurora would go on a 9-2 run, though, and wrapped up the match by again scoring the final four points.

Susana Stevens (Sr.-Las Cruces, N.M.) provided most of the Lakeland offense with eight kills in 20 attacks with a .350 hitting percentage. The senior outside hitter closed out one of the more prolific hitting careers for a Muskie, finishing fifth on the program's all-time list with 1,171 kills. Her 390 kills this season also are the ninth-most in a season in Lakeland women's volleyball history.

Rylee Esquibel (Fr.-Devine, Texas) posted a team-best nine digs and Ryan Figi (So.-Hartland, Wis.) and Katelyn Kitsembel (Jr.-Lake Mills, Wis.) added seven digs each. Sydney Gay (Fr.-Rice Lake, Wis.) also finished with 11 assists.

Kate Poellmann and Lulu Torres both posted 13 kills each for Aurora with Lilly Vance adding 12 kills. Rosie Karl also posted four of the Spartans' seven service aces.

The match was the final one for five Lakeland seniors: Stevens, Roseily Carrasquillo (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico), Briuna Harper (Waxahachie, Texas), Faith Spannbauer (Greenfield, Wis.) and Isabella Westerholm (Prior Lake, Minn.). Westerholm finished her career with the fourth-best hitting percentage in school history (.278) and Carrasquillo wrapped up her four years 13th all-time at Lakeland in career assists (955).