ROCKFORD, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College closed out its 2023 season with a 3-1 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference loss to Rockford on Saturday at the Seaver Center.
The Warriors (4-22, 0-12 NACC) took the first set from the Regents (6-16, 2-10 NACC) 25-20, but dropped three consecutive closely contested sets by scores of 25-20, 26-24, 25-23.Â
WLC led for the entire opening set and used a five-point run to break away from a two-point lead late in the set. Wisconsin Lutheran held a 12-8 lead in the second set, but an 8-1 RU scoring run gave them the lead for good. The Warriors closed within 18-17, but another four-point run from Rockford sealed the set. A back-and-forth third set saw 11 ties and the lead change hands four times. WLC, which held its largest lead at 16-11, led for the last time at 23-22 when the Regents scored four of the last five to win the set. In the fourth set, Wisconsin Lutheran overcame a 14-10 deficit to even the score on three occasions. With the set knotted at 23-23, RU scored the final two points to close out the set and match.
The Warriors totaled 37 kills with 24 errors on 134 attempts for a .097 hitting percentage. Freshmen
Marcus Fitzsimmons (Muskego, Wis.) and
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.) led WLC with 10 kills apiece. For Fitzsimmons, the 10 kills tied a season-high, while Wempner reached double-digit kills for the ninth time this season. Sophomore
Jay Thammavongsa (Franklin, Wis.) dished out a team-high 28 assists to go along with 11 digs for his third double-double of the year. Freshman
Trevor Salutric (Lockport, Ill.) collected a team-high 14 digs and
Drew Wempner had three total blocks.
Isaiah Dixon collected 18 kills and Josh Albers (44 assists, 10 digs) added a double-double for Rockford, which hit .185 with 50 kills, 25 errors, and 135 attempts.
Wisconsin Lutheran wraps up its 2023 season 4-22 overall and 0-12 in the NACC.
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