PLYMOUTH, Wis. –
Emily R. Hansen (
Jr.-Mayville, Wis.) had her biggest match so far for the Lakeland University women's volleyball team and the Muskies enjoyed their return to playing at home, cruising to a three-set sweep of St. Norbert College Thursday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
Lakeland rolled to a 25-19, 25-16, 25-17 win for its first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference win of the season. The Muskies won in their first match at home in a month and improved to 10-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Hansen was nearly automatic on the attack, finishing with 14 kills without an error in 19 attacks for a .737 hitting percentage. The UW-Milwaukee transfer in her first season with the Muskies tied her season high for kills, and her attack percentage tied for the fourth-highest in a match in Lakeland program history, tying with Heather Heberlein posting the same numbers (14 kills, 0 errors in 19 attacks) against Alverno College Oct. 19, 2004.
The Muskies were effective on the attack all night with a .386 hitting percentage, posting 47 kills to 13 errors in 88 swings. Lakeland posted its second-best mark of the season, behind only hitting .447 (46 kills, eight errors) at Ripon College Sept. 5.
The Muskies needed about the first half of the opening set to warm up and begin taking control of the match. The first set included 11 ties and two early lead changes, but a 5-1 run gave Lakeland a 17-13 lead. St. Norbert (2-14 overall, 1-1 NACC) rallied to tie it back up at 18-18, but the Muskies closed the set on a 7-1 run, with a block from
Maleigha Kovalaske (
Jr.-Ripon, Wis.) closing out the set.
Lakeland never trailed in the second set and was down only 1-0 to start the third set before taking the lead back for good. Hansen posted five kills in each of the first two sets,
Faith Baker (
Jr.-Verona, Ill.) went 5-for-5 on attacks in the second set, and Hansen and
Caitlyn Pernsteiner (
Sr.-Arpin, Wis.) added four kills each in the third set.
Kovalaske also posted nine kills plus a team-high 11 digs and Pernsteiner also finished with eight kills with one error in 11 attacks for a .636 hitting percentage.
Samya Hughes (
So.-Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) added eight kills plus two service aces and Baker also posted six kills.
Sydney Gay (
Jr.-Rice Lake, Wis.) also finished with 20 assists and
Katie Westerholm (
Fr.-Prior Lake, Minn.) added 17 assists.
Ryan Figi (
Sr.-Hartland, Wis.) also posted seven digs plus a team-high three service aces.
Alli Clark led St. Norbert with five kills. The Green Knights hit .068 with 18 kills and 13 errors in 74 attacks.
Lakeland is on the road again Saturday to take on NACC contender Aurora University at 2 p.m.
