CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa –
Samya Hughes (
So.-Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) drove home 13 kills and the Lakeland University women's volleyball team was sharp in its opening match of the Coe College Mabel Lee Invite, sweeping the host school in three sets Friday afternoon.
The Muskies defeated the Kohawks 27-25, 25-22, 25-18 in their first match of the tourney before falling to the University of Dubuque in four sets, 26-28, 28-26, 25-17, 25-22. Lakeland is now 7-5 overall on the season with two more matches remaining at Coe tomorrow.
The Muskies hit .291 in the match against Coe (3-6 overall), including Hughes leading the team with 13 kills without an error in 28 attacks (.464 attack percentage). Lakeland also served a season-high 12 aces and had a big advantage blocking as well, finishing with a 7-0 advantage in blocks.
The Muskies fought off two set points in the first set, including Hughes with a kill to tie it at 25-25 and then clinching the set with a kill on Lakeland's first set point. The opening set included 13 ties plus four lead changes, but the Muskies slowly began to assert themselves as the match went on. A kill by
Faith Baker (
Jr.-Verona, Ill.) was good for a 17-16 lead in the second, and Lakeland would never again trail in the match, including leading the third set from start to finish.
Katie Westerholm (
Fr.-Prior Lake, Minn.) finished with 18 assists, 10 digs and three service aces, all team highs.
Emily R. Hansen (
Jr.-Mayville, Wis.) added five blocks and
Laura Pearson (
Jr.-San Diego, Calif.) added four kills in four attacks plus four blocks.
Lakeland had a rockier time against Dubuque (8-2 overall), taking the first set but coming up just short in a close second set and then letting a lead slip away in the fourth.
The Muskies staved off a set point in the first set with a kill from Hansen, and finished the set with kills from
Maleigha Kovalaske (
Jr.-Ripon, Wis.) and then Baker to grab an early lead in the match. Lakeland held the upper hand in the second set until a 5-0 Dubuque run gave the Spartans a 20-16 lead, but the Muskies hung around and survived three set points before a kill from Halee Clare gave Dubuque the set win and tied the match.
The Spartans won the third set comfortably, but Lakeland looked poised to push the match to a deciding set when it led by as much as six in the fourth and was ahead 21-17 after a kill by Baker. The Muskies still held a 22-20 lead following a block by Baker and
Caitlyn Pernsteiner (
Sr.-Arpin, Wis.), but Dubuque scored the final five points of the match, including a pair of service aces by Julia Schultz plus a kill on match point by Alexis Kammerer to close it out.
Hughes finished with 15 kills and Kovalaske added 12 kills, but Lakeland was much less efficient on the attack in its second match of the evening, hitting .079 with 47 kills but 34 errors. Westerholm posted 21 assists and nine digs,
Sydney Gay (
Jr.-Rice Lake, Wis.) added 18 assists plus 12 digs, and
Ryan Figi (
Sr.-Hartland, Wis.) totaled 27 digs.
Rylee Esquibel (
Jr.-Devine, Texas) also added four service aces.
Lakeland faces Cornell (Iowa) College at 10 a.m. on Saturday and then wraps up the tourney against Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College at 3 p.m.
