MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College battled through five sets on Saturday before falling 3-2 (25-11, 22-25, 25-17, 22-25, 15-12) to Concordia Wisconsin in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference matchup at Time of Grace Center.
After a sluggish start in the opening set, the Warriors (11-14, 7-4 NACC) bounced back to even the match and force a decisive fifth frame, but the Falcons (12-12, 8-3 NACC) closed strong to claim the road victory.
CUW dominated the first set 25-11 behind a 14-3 run midway through the frame and a .400 hitting percentage, while WLC struggled offensively with a -.074 mark.
Wisconsin Lutheran found its rhythm in the second set, hitting a match-best .393 to take a 25-22 win. Seniors
Lydia Biggin (Burlington, Wis.) and
Kayla Wigley (Milwaukee, Wis.) combined for nine kills, while a late 6-2 stretch capped by a Biggin kill evened the match at one set apiece.
Concordia Wisconsin regained momentum in the third, using a 7-2 spurt to turn a close set into a 25-17 victory while hitting .250.
Set four featured 12 ties and seven lead changes before the Warriors pulled away late. A pair of kills from sophomore
Isabel Baudhuin (Casco, Wis.) during a 4-0 run to clinched a 25-22 win and force the deciding fifth set.
The Falcons edged ahead early in the final frame and held off a late WLC push to win 15-12, scoring the final four points to erase a one-point deficit.
Biggin paced Wisconsin Lutheran with a match-high 18 kills. Wigley tallied 12 kills and 13 digs, while Charbonneau collected 41 assists and 12 digs to complete the double-doubles. Sophomore
Elexa Varden (Dixon, Ill.) finished with 10 kills and hit .381. Freshman
Brooke Bartelt (West Bend, Wis.) added 11 digs, and sophomore
Willa Hollander (St. Louis, Mo.) contributed 10 digs.
CUW was led Ashley Habermehl (12 kills, 11 digs) and Abby Proefrock (10 kills, 10 digs) who each recorded a double-double. Brianna Lundt collected a match-high 21 digs, and McKenna Oetzman dished out 24 assists.
The Warriors conclude their regular season home schedule on Thursday at 7 p.m. when they host Edgewood (21-6, 12-0 NACC) for Senior Night at Time of Grace Center. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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