Women's Volleyball Unable To Close Out Carroll

WAUKESHA, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College held late leads in the first and third set, but was unable to close them out in a 3-1 non-conference setback to Carroll on Wednesday at Van Male Fieldhouse.

The Warriors (3-4) fell in four sets to the Pioneers (9-2) by scores of 29-27, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20. WLC hit .144 for the match with 46 kills, 24 errors, and 153 attempts. CU had 49 kills, 29 errors, and 157 attempts for a .127 hitting percentage.

The back-and-forth first set featured 14 ties and nine lead changes, as both teams overcame as much as a four-point deficit. Carroll staved off match point twice, 24-23 and 26-25, before taking the opening set 29-27.

WLC never trailed in the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead following an service ace from senior Kylee Gnabasik (Jefferson, Wis.). Wisconsin Lutheran led by as many as eight points before knotting up the match with a 25-21 win.

The Warriors held an 11-6 lead in another tightly contested third set that saw seven ties and three lead changes. The Pioneers came back to grab their first lead at 22-21, before WLC took advantage of three straight errors to jump back in front 24-22. CU, however, closed out the set with four straight points for the 26-24 victory. 

Wisconsin Lutheran went in front 8-4 in the fourth set following a kill from sophomore Shannon Rusch (Edgerton, Wis.). A 5-1 run midway through from Carroll put the hosts in front 17-14. The Warriors would get no closer than two points the rest of the way in a 25-20 decisive set that went in favor of the Pioneers..

Junior Bailey Halliburton (Germantown, Wis.) tied a career-high with 11 kills along with a personal-best seven total blocks. Junior Kayla Wigley (Milwaukee, Wis.) collected her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and a season-high 16 digs. Seniors Emma Incaperro (Mauston, Wis.) and Karah Valerio (Pewaukee, Wis.) posted 18 and 17 assists, respectively. Junior Lydia Biggin (Burlington, Wis.) added a a season-best four block assists, while Rusch totaled a season-high 11 digs.

Lizzy Williams and Peyton Frost tallied 11 kills each to lead CU.

WLC travels to Dubuque, Iowa on Saturday for the Loras Invitational, facing the host Duhawks (6-2) at 12 p.m. followed by 14th-ranked WashU (5-2) at 2 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.