Warriors Snap Skid With 3-1 Win Over Illinois Tech

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College put an end to its seven-match losing streak by claiming a 3-1 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference victory over Illinois Tech on Saturday at Time of Grace Center.

The Warriors (8-14, 3-7 NACC) defeated the Scarlet Hawks by scores of 25-17, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22 for their third straight win in the series.

WLC, which never trailed in the first set, opened the match with strong offense, hitting an impressive .355 in the opening set. Wisconsin Lutheran broke away from a 5-5 deadlock by going on a 13-4 scoring run en route to the 25-17 opening-set victory.

IIT erased a 13-10 deficit in the second set with six straight points. Wisconsin Lutheran grabbed the lead back, 17-16, before another 6-0 scoring run from Illinois Tech gave them the lead for good to even the match with a 25-21 win.

The Warriors jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the third set, only to have the Scarlet Hawks claw back to take their last lead at 13-12. WLC answered with a 6-1 scoring run to gain the lead for good on its way a 25-21 victory. 

Wisconsin Lutheran held a 13-8 lead in the fourth set after the set was knotted five times. The Warriors led by as many as eight points at 20-12 before IIT rallied to tie the match twice at 21-21 and 22-22. WLC closed out the match with a pair of kills and a service ace for a 25-22 victory.

Junior Hannah Vriezen (Marion, Iowa) paced Wisconsin Lutheran with a career-high 12 kills. Senior Amahra Matthai (Plover, Wis.) matched a career-high for the third time this season with 11 kills. Both players hit  .429 for the match. Senior Karah Valerio (Pewaukee, Wis.) tallied 15 assists and four service aces, while freshman Hannah Rood (Burnsville, Minn.) also added 15 helpers. Senior Kylee Gnabasik (Jefferson, Wis.) collected a match-high 20 digs, while also serving up four aces. Freshman Elexa Varden (Dixon, Ill.) posted five block assists.

Karla Trautmann Mendez had 13 kills, while Grace Reckamp recorded a double-double of 23 assists and 10 digs for Illinois Tech (12-13, 4-6 NACC).

The Warriors are on the road for two NACC matches next week, starting Thursday with a 6 p.m. trip to Concordia Wisconsin (14-9, 9-1 NACC) in Mequon. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.