Warriors Come Up Empty In Pair Of Close Matches

MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Lutheran College volleyball team battled in search of its first victory of the season, but fell short in a 3-1 loss to Buena Vista and a narrow 3-2 defeat at the hands of Central Saturday afternoon in the IIAC/NACC Challenge at the Recreation Complex.

WHERE THEY STAND

• The Warriors dropped to 0-12, Buena Vista finished the day 13-8 and Central moved to 13-6.

HOW IT HAPPENED: WLC vs. Buena Vista

• The Warriors jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set, but the Beavers took 10 of the next 12 points to grab a 12-10 lead. The lead continued to change hands throughout the set, and it was tied at 23 before Haley Fuecht (Campbellsport, Wis./Campbellsport) delivered back-to-back kills to give WLC a 25-23 victory. 
• WLC briefly led the second set at 11-10 and 12-11 and kept it close throughout, but lost four of the final five points to drop the set 25-21.
• The Forest Green and White led early in the third set and pulled to within 20-17 late in the set before surrendering five of the final six points to fall 25-18.
• Buena Vista won the first six points of the fourth set and WLC couldn't recover, ending the match in a 25-13 defeat.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: WLC vs. Buena Vista

• WLC hit .114 for the match and Buena Vista countered with a .170 attack percentage. 
• The Warriors held a 7-5 edge in blocks.
• Feucht hit .163 for a team-high 12 kills. Jeni Polzin (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) contributed a team-high 14 digs and tied a match-best with four block assists. Alexis Hafemeister (Milwaukee, Wis./Wauwatosa West) notched a team-high 23 assists.
• Jade Schaap registered a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs for Buena Vista. Maddie Bardole piled up a match-high 22 kills, Jordan Henningsen had a match-best 21 digs, and Laura Barry posted 40 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED: WLC vs. Central

• The Warriors led by as many as four at 11-7 in the first set, but the Dutch used a 10-3 run to take the lead on their way to a 25-19 set win.
• WLC won the first five points of the second set and led 16-8 before Central rallied to pull to within 19-17. The Warriors answered by winning six straight points to take the set 25-17. 
• Central won the first five points of the third set and never trailed, hitting .345 to win the set 25-14.
• The Warriors led wire-to-wire in the fourth set to win it 25-19 and force a decisive fifth set for the first time this season.
• The Dutch hit .250 in the fifth set and clinched the match with a 15-9 victory. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: WLC vs. Central

• WLC hit .006 for the match and Central hit .173. 
• Hafemeister posted a double-double with a match-high 28 assists to go along with 13 digs. Feucht registered 13 kills and Megan Wierzbicki (Hartford, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) recorded a match-high 25 digs.
• Shantell Gish hit .412 and totaled nine kills for Central, Madison Maddox dished out 19 assists, and Dzenita Bahtic supplied 21 digs. 

UP NEXT

• WLC (0-12, 0-2 NACC) travels to face Marian (4-13, 0-1 NACC) Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Links to live stats and video will be available on wlcsports.com.