MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College rallied after dropping the opening set to secure a 3-1 victory (20-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-14) over Marian in its Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opener on Wednesday at Time of Grace Center.

The Sabres jumped out to an early 9-3 lead in the first set and maintained the six-point margin later at 14-8. Despite a late 5-1 surge by the Warriors, MU closed out the set 25-20.

WLC responded in the second set. Tied 4-4, Wisconsin Lutheran used a 7-2 spurt to open an 11-6 advantage. The Warriors led by as many as seven before Marian narrowed the margin to 18-15. WLC finished on a 7-3 spurt, punctuated by consecutive blocks from freshman Alex Emberger (Maple Grove, Minn.) to take the set 25-18.

Set three belonged to Wisconsin Lutheran. Holding an early 6-4 edge, the Warriors used a 13-4 run to surge ahead. WLC closed the set on a 4-0 spurt to win 25-13.

In the fourth set, Wisconsin Lutheran erased an 8-6 deficit with an 11-2 run to break away to a 20-12 lead. The Warriors capped the match on a 5-1 spurt to claim the frame 25-14.

WLC hit .203 for the match, recording 48 kills against 20 errors on 138 total attacks. Freshman Elizabeth Ehlke (Cedarburg, Wis.) paced Wisconsin Lutheran's attack with a match-high 15 kills, while freshman Ireland Zyzo (Waukesha, Wis.) added 11 kills. Sophomore Lauren Charbonneau (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) led the offense with 22 assists, followed by junior Hannah Rood (Burnsville, Minn.) with 15. Zyzo recorded a match-best three service aces, while Ehlke added two.

Defensively, Ehlke posted a team-high 16 digs, followed closely by sophomore Brooke Bartelt (West Bend, Wis.) with 15, and Zyzo with 10. At the net, Emberger and senior Faith Smith (Racine, Wis.) tallied four total blocks (one solo, three assists) to lead the Warriors' seven-block performance.

The Sabres (4-12, 0-3 NACC) hit .008 as a team, tallying 31 kills and 30 errors across 125 attempts. Khloe Walling led MU with eight kills and Kaylie Engebose directed the offense with 20 assists. Sofia Rodriguez and Raegan Montello each recorded one service ace. Defensively, Rodriguez collected a match-high 17 digs.

Wisconsin Lutheran (7-9, 1-0 NACC) returns to conference play on Friday when it travels to Rockford (3-7, 0-1 NACC) for a 6 p.m. matchup.