CHICAGO, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College earned a 3-1 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference road win over Illinois Tech on Saturday at Keating Sports Center, defeating the Scarlet Hawks by set scores of 21-25, 25-19, 25-22, and 27-25.
After dropping the opening set 25-21, the Warriors (8-11, 4-1 NACC) responded in set two by erasing an early 5-1 deficit. An 8-2 run midway through the frame, capped by kill from senior
Kayla Wigley (Milwaukee, Wis.), put WLC in control en route to the 25-19 win.
Wisconsin Lutheran carried that momentum into the third set, jumping out to an early 8-4 lead following four kills from senior
Lydia Biggin (Burlington, Wis.). IIT closed within a point late at 23-22, but the Warriors sealed the 25-22 win behind key kills from Wigley and Biggin.
In the decisive fourth, WLC overcame 10 ties and three lead changes. Junior
Faith Smith (Racine, Wis.) and Wigley delivered clutch points down the stretch, with Wigley's service ace closing out the 27-25 set victory to secure the match.
Wisconsin Lutheran hit .225 in the fourth and .157 overall, while Illinois Tech posted a .129 hitting percentage. WLC also held a 50-41 advantage in kills.
Biggin led all players with 14 kills in addition to 11 digs for a double-double. while Wigley added 11 kills and five service aces. Senior
Emily Marohn (Reedsville, Wis.) tallied 10 kills and 11 digs, while freshman
Lauren Charbonneau (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) recorded a match-high 36 assists with 11 digs. Freshman
Brooke Bartelt (West Bend, Wis.) contributed a match-best 23 digs to anchor the defense.
Ana Jones had 10 kills, Veronica Lopez had 18 assists, and Brooke Rifkin had 13 digs for the Scarlet Hawks (6-12, 2-4 NACC).
The Warriors continue conference play on Thursday when they travel to Aurora (14-6, 5-0 NACC) for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Spartans. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
Â
