AURORA, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College dropped a 3-0 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference decision to No. 12 Aurora on Tuesday inside Thornton Gymnasium by set scores of 25-22, 25-14, 25-22.
The Spartans (19-6, 10-2 NACC) used key runs in each set, while finishing the match with a .193 hitting percentage. The Warriors (12-9, 6-5 NACC) posted a .110 team hitting percentage in the loss.
WLC jumped out to an early 5-1 advantage behind strong serving from freshman
Adonis Hilton (Rockford, Ill.), forcing AU into multiple attack errors. Aurora responded with a 9-3 run to take a 10-8 lead and later extended the margin to 14-10. Trailing 20-14, Wisconsin Lutheran rallied with a 6-2 burst to pull within 23-22, highlighted by kills from sophomores
Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.) and
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), and senior
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.). However, the Spartans closed the set with back-to-back points to secure the opener.
AU seized control early in the second set, scoring nine of the first 12 points to build a 9-3 lead. A 5-0 run midway through the frame pushed Aurora's advantage to 19-8. The Warriors were unable to recover offensively, hitting -.037 in the set. The Spartans continued to apply pressure from the service line and in transition, closing the set to take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was tightly contested early, with the score tied at 3-3 before AU used a 6-1 run to build a 9-4 cushion. Aurora later extended its lead to 14-7. WLC mounted a late push, scoring five of six points to cut the deficit to 22-18 and eventually pulling within 24-22 following a block and service pressure. The Spartans, however, sided out on the final point to complete the sweep.
Hilton led Wisconsin Lutheran with seven kills. Freshman
David Warren (Brookfield, Wis.) dished out 15 assists, and Pichler paced the net with six total blocks as the Warriors totaled 9.0 as a team. Defensively, Pichler recorded a team-high seven digs.
AU was led by S.J. Nelson with nine kills. Logan Brouwer guided the attack with 22 assists and seven service aces. Soloman Dail recorded seven total blocks as Aurora totaled 10.5 team blocks.
WLC concludes the regular season on Saturday, April 4 against No. 20 Dominican (17-5, 8-2 NACC) at 1 p.m. in River Forest, Illinois. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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