Wisconsin Lutheran Nets Third NACC Win With Sweep Of Lakeland

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College improved to 3-1 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference following a 3-0 sweep over Lakeland on Saturday at Time of Grace Center. The Warriors were paced by freshman Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), who finished with 15 kills and 12 digs, while junior Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.) added a season-high 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage.

WLC (6-9, 3-1 NACC) earned its first-ever win over the Muskies in nine all-time meetings by scores 25-20, 29-27, 25-23.
 
After early back-and-forth action, Wisconsin Lutheran used a quick 4-0 spurt, capped off by back-to-back kills by Pichler, to take an 11-6 lead in the opening set. LU used a 4-0 run of its own to cut the deficit to a single point at 14-13, but the Warriors never relinquished their lead en route to the first set win.

Freshman Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.) gave WLC an early 5-4 lead in the second set before Lakeland rattled off a 5-0 run to gain an early advantage. Wisconsin Lutheran managed to rally and tie the score at 12-12 after block assists from Wempner and senior James Biedenbender (La Crosse, Wis.). The remainder of the second set featured 10 ties with neither team gaining a lead larger than two points. The Muskies were able to break four set points, but the Warriors clinched the second set 29-27 following a pair of kills out of the middle from Wempner.

After trading points to open the third set, LU gained separation with a 4-0 run to take the early 7-3 lead. WLC trailed by as many as five points but used a pair of kills from Wempner and a service ace from Pichler to regain the lead at 15-13. With score knotted at 18-18, Wisconsin Lutheran used a 4-1 run, which included a pair of kills from Kern, to force a Lakeland timeout at 22-19. Pichler gave the Warriors match point before junior Connor Haeuser's (West Bend, Wis.) kill completed the sweep with a 25-23 victory in the final set.

WLC collectively hit .298 as a team and added 12 block assists on the defensive side. Pichler finished with a match-high 15 kills and 12 digs for his fifth double-double of the season, while adding four block assists. Biedenbender added his third double-double of the year with 37 assists and 10 digs. Wempner and Kern each added 12 kills to the attack.
 
The Muskies (6-9, 0-3 NACC) were led by Sage Xiong with 10 kills and Chase Anderson with 30 assists, LU hit .217 for the match.
 
Wisconsin Lutheran welcomes crosstown NACC foe MSOE (4-8, 3-0 NACC) to Time of Grace Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. opening serve. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.