MADISON, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College recorded an historic sweep on Wednesday, defeating Edgewood 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-13) in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference action at Todd Wehr Edgedome.
The victory marked the Warriors' first-ever win over the Eagles in seven all-time meetings and matched the program's highest single-season win total.
WLC (8-5, 3-1 NACC) hit .315 as a team with 39 kills on 89 attempts, committing just 11 errors. It was the sixth time this season Wisconsin Lutheran eclipsed the .300 attacking mark. EC (4-10, 1-4 NACC) finished with a .053 hitting percentage, totaling 23 kills with 18 errors on 94 swings.
The opening set featured 10 ties and was tight throughout. With the score knotted 15-15, the Warriors used a 4-1 run to take a 19-16 advantage. Edgewood battled back to within 22-21, but sophomore
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) delivered a key late kill and sophomore
Carson Rau (Jackson, Wis.) sealed the set with a service ace to give WLC the 25-22 win.
Wisconsin Lutheran turned a narrow 9-7 deficit into control of the match with a decisive 13-3 surge. The Warriors closed the set on a 5-1 stretch, capped by back-to-back kills from sophomore
Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.), to take a commanding two-set lead.
WLC dominated the final frame, hitting .500 in the set with 10 kills and no errors. Leading 10-7, Wisconsin Lutheran rattled off a 10-3 run to break it open. Freshman
Adonis Hilton (Rockford, Ill.) put down three late kills as the Warriors closed on a 5-3 run to complete the sweep.
Pichler paced WLC with 15 kills while hitting .538. Hilton added eight kills and Kern contributed seven. Freshman
David Warren (Brookfield, Wis.) directed the offense with 17 assists, while freshman
Adam Bedalov (Waukesha, Wis.) added 14. Senior
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.) and junior
Josh Ward (Mukwonago, Wis.) led the net defense with five total blocks apiece as Wisconsin Lutheran finished with 10 team blocks. Hilton chipped in 10 digs.
For the Eagles, Cade Schueller led the way with seven kills, followed by Owen Voigt with five. Ethan Hoffert recorded 15 assists. Tanner Sindorf tallied a team-best seven digs, while Hoffert and Owen Hartjes posted two blocks each.
The Warriors return to action on Thursday, March 5, hosting Maranatha Baptist (0-13) at 7 p.m. inside Time of Grace Center for Senior Night and final non-conference match of the season. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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