AURORA, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Sixth-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran College saw its 2025 season come to an end on Tuesday with a nail-biting 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 24-26, 28-26) loss to third-seeded Aurora in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament Quarterfinal at Thornton Gymnasium.
The Warriors tallied 11 more kills (64-53) than the Spartans and outhit the hosts .229 to .166, but were plagued by 15 service errors.
In the opening set, AU jumped out to a 9-3 lead before WLC fought back with an 8-3 run to pull within 12-11. Wisconsin Lutheran, which never led in the set, nearly erased a 21-16 deficit late as it pulled within 24-23, but an Aurora kill closed the first set at 25-23.
The Spartans jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set, and after the Warriors evened the score at 4-4, AU used a 6-1 run to take control. The hosts had their largest lead of eight points at 21-13 before coming away with a 25-18 victory.
Set three featured seven ties and three lead changes as WLC erased a 10-5 deficit with a 9-2 run to take a 14-12 lead. After trading points late, Wisconsin Lutheran fought off a pair of set points and closed on a 4-0 run to take a 26-24 victory and cut its deficit to 2-1.
In the fourth, the Warriors raced out to a 3-0 start before Aurora grabbed its first lead at 5-4, the first of a back-and-forth set that featured 13 ties and five lead changes. WLC led 21-19 before the Spartans jumped back in front 24-22. Wisconsin Lutheran battled back to knot the score three more times, including 26-26, but a pair of kills from AU clinched the match 28-26.
Senior
Lydia Biggin (Burlington, Wis.) led all players with 27 kills, hitting .362 while adding 10 digs for the first of three double-doubles. Senior
Kayla Wigley (Milwaukee, Wis.) followed with 16 kills and a team-high 18 digs. Junior
Faith Smith (Racine, Wis.) hit .467 with seven kills and five total blocks. Freshman
Lauren Charbonneau (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) dished out 52 assists and collected 11 digs, Senior
Emily Marohn (Reedsville, Wis.) and freshman
Brooke Bartelt (West Bend, Wis.) chipped in 15 and 11 digs, respectively.
Aurora (21-8, 12-2 NACC) was paced by Izabella Kowalczyk's 17 kills, Trinity Nelson's 37 assists, and Katie Brisk's 30 digs. With the win, the Spartans advance to host seventh-seeded Illinois Tech on Thursday in a NACC Tournament Semifinal.
The Warriors conclude their 2025 campaign 12-16 overall and 8-5 in the NACC — their highest win totals in both categories in four seasons.
