THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (WLCSports.com) - Freshman
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) posted a school-record 21 kills to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Calvin on Saturday at the CLU Invitational. The Warriors fell to No. 3 host Cal Lutheran to salvage a split on their final day of a season-opening trip to California.
WLC (1-3) fended off an opening set loss to the Knights by rattling off three straight set wins in its final weekend match by scores of 20-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-22. Trailing 23-20 in the third set, Wisconsin Lutheran scored six of the final seven points to swing the momentum in its favor.
The Warriors hit .175 with 40 kills, 20 errors, and 114 swings. Pichler recorded a school-record and match-high 21 kills while hitting .429. Freshman
Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.) added nine kills to go along with 10 digs. Senior
James Biedenbender (La Crosse, Wis.) collected a career- and match-high 33 assists. Junior
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.) amassed six total blocks, while junior
Trevor Salutric (Lockport, Ill.) led all players with 20 digs.
CU hit .160 with 46 kills, 25 errors, and 131 swings. Troy Jones tallied 12 kills and Gabriel Laughlin hit .526 with 11 kills for Calvin (0-3).
In its first match of the day, WLC fell to the defending national champion Kingsmen 3-0 by scores of 25-22, 25-16, 25-11.
Wisconsin Lutheran finished with 24 kills, 15 errors, and 77 attempts for a .117 hitting percentage. Pichler led the team with 12 kills, two service aces, and two total blocks. Biedenbender dished out 17 helpers, and Salutric secured a team-high 11 digs.
CLU hit .365 on 42 kills, 11 errors, and 87 attempts. Jordan Cooper collected a match-high 13 kills and three service aces for Cal Lutheran (2-1).Â
The Warriors have two weeks off before hosting Trine (0-4) for their home opener on Saturday, January 25 at 10 a.m. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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