MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College outlasted Concordia Chicago 3-2 (25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 15-9) in a back-and-forth Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference battle on Saturday at Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (9-12, 5-2 NACC) jumped out to a two-set lead before the Cougars (5-15, 1-6 NACC) rallied to even the match, but WLC regrouped in the decisive fifth set to seal the win.
In the opening set, Wisconsin Lutheran used a 10-3 start and never trailed after the opening points, hitting .300 to take a 25-19 win. The second set featured eight ties and five lead changes before the Warriors pulled away late with a pair of kills from senior
Kayla Wigley (Milwaukee, Wis.).
CUC responded with a 25-21 victory in the third, using a 10-0 service run to turn an early deficit into a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Concordia Chicago followed with another 25-21 win in the fourth, riding four kills from Lili Hunt to even the match at 2-2.
WLC took control quickly in the decisive fifth, racing out to a 7-4 lead behind a kill from junior
Faith Smith (Racine, Wis.). Wisconsin Lutheran hit .296 in the final frame and closed out the match 15-9 on a senior
Emily Marohn (Reedsville, Wis.) kill.
The Warriors finished with a .126 hitting percentage compared to .099 for the Cougars. WLC totaled 65 kills to CUC's 40, with both teams recording seven total blocks.
Biggin led Wisconsin Lutheran with 19 kills and 18 digs, both career highs, while Marohn added a career-high 17 kills along with 17 digs. Wigley finished with 13 kills and 18 digs. Freshman
Lauren Charbonneau (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) handed out a season-high 43 assists. Freshman
Brooke Bartelt (West Bend, Wis.) paced the defense with a season-high 26 digs.
Hunt led Concordia Chicago with 12 kills, while Eva Fitzgerald tallied 16 assists. Rosemary Brenner contributed a team-high 22 digs for the Cougars.
The Warriors return to action on Thursday when they host MSOE (4-17, 2-5 NACC) at 6:30 p.m. at Time of Grace Center. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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