LISLE, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College dropped a 3-1 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference match to Benedictine on Saturday at Dan and Ada Rice Center. The Warriors fell by set scores of 25-21, 25-19, 27-29, 25-18.
The Eagles (11-9, 6-2 NACC) used a late surge in the opening set to take control. The teams battled through multiple ties midway through before the Warriors trimmed a 21-18 deficit to 23-21, but BenU closed the frame with two straight kills to secure a 25-21 win.
The second set featured an early run by Benedictine, which scored four of the first five points and later used a 4-0 stretch to break free from the sixth tie of the set. WLC was unable to recover, despite hitting .241 in the set, and couldn't slow the Eagles' .423 hitting percentage in a 25-19 decision.
Wisconsin Lutheran (11-7, 5-3 NACC) responded in a tightly contested third set that featured 13 ties and five lead changes. Trailing late, the Warriors rallied to tie the score at 24-24 and eventually fought off multiple match points. A kill from freshman
Adonis Hilton (Rockford, Ill.) and block from Hilton and junior
Josh Ward (Mukwonago, Wis.) helped WLC close out the set, 29-27, to extend the match.
In the fourth set, BenU seized momentum with a decisive late run. Holding a narrow 18-17 lead, Benedictine scored five straight points to stretch the margin to 23-17. Wisconsin Lutheran was unable to mount a comeback as the Eagles closed the match with a 25-18 win.
The Warriors finished with a .186 hitting percentage compared to .297 for BenU.
Sophomore
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) led WLC with a career- and match-high 22 kills, while sophomore
Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.) and Hilton added 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Freshman
David Warren (Brookfield, Wis.) dished out 28 assists. Pichler, Ward, and senior
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.) finished with four block assists apiece. Pichler also posted a team-high 11 digs for his third double-double of the season.
For Benedictine, Tucker Lambert recorded a team-high 18 kills, while Chris Radomski added 14. Spencer VanEngen totaled 38 assists, and Jordan Cardenas led all players with 18 digs. Lambert and Jacob Thomas tallied five total blocks each.
Wisconsin Lutheran returns to action Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. when it hosts No. 18 MSOE (15-6, 8-0 NACC) at Time of Grace Center. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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