MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College opened Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play in dominant fashion on Saturday, sweeping St. Norbert 25-22, 25-18, 25-19 at Time of Grace Center.
The Warriors (6-4, 1-0 NACC) hit a season-high .354 (46-11-99) as a team, matching their top attacking performance of the year, while the Green Knights (6-6, 2-2 NACC) hit .291 (36-11-86).
WLC was tested early in the opening set, which featured 13 ties and several momentum swings. Trailing 18-17, Wisconsin Lutheran used a 4-2 push to regain control, highlighted by a pair of kills from senior
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.). After SNC evened the score at 22-22, the Warriors closed on a 3-0 run. A service ace from sophomore
Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.) set up set point before a combined block by freshman
Adonis Hilton (Rockford, Ill.) and Wempner sealed the 25-22 win.
WLC found its rhythm in the second set. After falling behind 4-1, Wisconsin Lutheran responded with a 7-2 run to take an 8-6 lead, sparked by two service aces from Kern. Clinging to a 15-13 advantage, the Warriors put together a decisive 9-4 stretch, with Hilton and sophomore
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) keying the offense. Hilton later delivered a service ace to bring up set point, and Pichler finished the 25-18 victory with a kill.
St. Norbert grabbed the early edge in the third set, racing out to a 3-0 lead. WLC answered with a steady surge, using a 6-3 run to move in front 9-7. The Green Knights stayed within two at 17-15, but Wisconsin Lutheran closed the match on an 8-4 run. Pichler recorded three late kills, and a final service ace capped the 25-19 set and the sweep.
Pichler led the Warriors with 16 kills while hitting .500, and Hilton added 11 kills. Freshman
Adam Bedalov (Waukesha, Wis.) directed the offense with 40 assists. Defensively, Pichler and Bedalov totaled a team-best eight digs, and Wempner paced the net play with three total blocks as WLC finished with seven team blocks.
For SNC, Ryan Da Silva led the way with 10 kills, while Michael Whitney dished out 27 assists and recorded a match-high 11 digs.
Wisconsin Lutheran returns to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the road at Marian (4-9, 0-2 NACC). Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
Â
