Warriors Suffer Sweeps Against Pointers, Cardinals

WINONA, Minn. - The Wisconsin Lutheran College women's volleyball team was dealt back-to-back 3-0 sweeps by No. 7 UW-Stevens Point and host Saint Mary's Friday in its first two matches at the Sugar Loaf Classic.

THE BASICS

• Final Scores: UW-Stevens Point 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-11); Saint Mary's 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-18)
• Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (2-2), UW-Stevens Point (2-0), Saint Mary's (3-0)
• Location: Gostomski Fieldhouse, Winona, Minn. | Attendance: 164

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. UW-STEVENS POINT

• WLC won the first point of the first set but the Pointers never trailed the rest of the way, winning set one, 25-13.
• In set two, Wisconsin Lutheran tied it up five times, including 22-22 before UWSP scored three straight points to take the set 25-22.
• The nationally-ranked Pointers swept the Warriors 3-0 after taking the final set 25-11.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE VS. UW-STEVENS POINT

• Britley Grulke (Hustisford, Wis./Hustisford) tallied a match-high 12 kills in the opening match.
• Alexis Hafemeister (Milwaukee, Wis./Wauwatosa West) passed out 15 assists and Megan Wierzbicki (Hartford, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) dug up 14 attacks.
• WLC was limited to just a .094 hitting percentage, while UWSP finished with a .262 hitting percentage and was led by Ellen Drewry's 12 kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. SAINT MARY'S

• The first set was close early until Saint Mary's went on a run to take the opener 25-14.
• Set two was tied at 7-7 until the Cardinals pulled away to win 25-18. 
• The Warriors tried to pull off a late rally, bringing the match to within four points at 22-18, but WLC fell just short, losing by a score of 25-23.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE VS. SAINT MARY'S

• MacKayla Menges (Manitowoc, Wis./Lutheran) tallied a team-high 11 kills in the match.
• Alexis Hafemeister again led the team in assists with 14 and Wierzbicki led the defensive effort with 10 digs.
• Two Cardinals posted 12 digs each and Tayler MacVey dished out 20 assists.
• The Warriors struggled offensively, posting a .008 hitting percentage, while SMU finished with a .216 hitting percentage.

NOTABLES

• Through four matches, Wierzbicki ranks second in the NACC with 60 digs.

UP NEXT

• Wisconsin Lutheran concludes its play at the Sugar Loaf Classic tomorrow with matches against St. Norbert (1-1) at 10 a.m. and UW-La Crosse (2-1) at 12 p.m. Live stats for both matches will be available at wlcsports.com.