MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College swept conference foe Concordia Wisconsin in straight sets on Saturday at Time of Grace Center, 25-23, 25-23, 25-17, to secure a milestone victory in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
The win marked the first in program history over the Falcons and clinched the Warriors' first-ever NACC Tournament berth.
WLC hit .313 as a team (43 kills, 12 errors, 99 attacks), while CUW finished with a .182 hitting percentage (31 kills, 15 errors, 88 attacks),
The opening set featured tight play throughout, with seven ties early. Concordia Wisconsin held a slight edge at 8-7 before Wisconsin Lutheran used a 7-2 run to build a 14-10 advantage. The Falcons responded with a late push, trimming the deficit to 24-23, but sophomore
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) closed the set with a kill to give the Warriors the 25-23 win.
The second set followed a similar script, with neither team leading by more than two points. The score was tied at 16-16 before WLC capitalized on CUW errors and a key block from junior
Josh Ward (Mukwonago, Wis.) to move ahead 20-18. Concordia Wisconsin again battled back to within one late, but Wisconsin Lutheran finished strong, scoring two of the final three points, capped by a kill from freshman
Adonis Hilton (Rockford, Ill.) to secure another 25-23 decision.
The Warriors seized control early in the third set, turning an 8-6 lead into a commanding 15-7 advantage. WLC maintained momentum throughout, extending the lead to as many as nine points. The Falcons was unable to recover, and sophomore
Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.) delivered the final kill to complete the sweep, 25-17.
Pichler led Wisconsin Lutheran with a match-high 21 kills, while Kern collected nine kills. Freshman
David Warren (Brookfield, Wis.) paced the offense and defense with 20 assists and 10 digs for his first career double-double, and Ward led the net play with a team-high six blocks.
For CUW (4-16, 3-7 NACC), Owen Kolozsy recorded nine kills and 10 digs to lead the team. Hayden Hurley totaled 26 assists, and Chase Ammons contributed three blocks.
The Warriors (12-8, 6-4 NACC) return to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they travel to face No. 12 Aurora (18-6, 9-2 NACC) at Thornton Gymnasium in Aurora, Illinois. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
