APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University volleyball opened Midwest Conference play in winning fashion Friday night, rallying from a second-set setback to defeat Grinnell College 3-1 at Alexander Gymnasium.
The Vikings (9-6, 1-0 MWC) battled to a 25-23 victory in the opening set before Grinnell answered with a 25-15 win in the second. Lawrence then regained control, taking the third set 25-21 before closing out the match with a dominant 25-13 fourth-set victory.
Lawrence received a balanced offensive effort throughout the night, with Bella Van Lannen leading the way with 14 kills while hitting .229. Norma Glisczinski added eight kills and hit .300, while Emma Nilson also finished with eight kills while hitting .263. Audrey Weier contributed six kills, and Meg Pfannerstill added five.
The Vikings established their tone early in the opening set. After Grinnell grabbed an early advantage, Lawrence worked its way in front and eventually built a 14-10 lead. The Pioneers battled back late, cutting the margin to 21-20, but Lawrence held its ground and finished off the 25-23 win.
Grinnell responded in the second, jumping out to an early lead and building a 12-6 advantage. Lawrence could not find a consistent offensive rhythm in the set, as the Pioneers evened the match with a 25-15 victory.
The Vikings answered with their strongest stretch of the night in the third set.
Lawrence jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but Grinnell rallied and eventually took a 13-7 advantage. Rather than let the set slip away, the Vikings steadily chipped away at the deficit. Lawrence pulled even at 17-17, then continued to build momentum behind kills from Nilson, Van Lannen, Pfannerstill and Glisczinski. A Van Lannen kill gave the Vikings a 21-18 lead, and Lawrence held on for the 25-21 victory to move ahead 2-1.
That momentum carried directly into the fourth.
Lawrence opened the final set with a 5-2 advantage and continued to separate itself. The Vikings pushed their lead to 12-7 before rattling off another run to make it 18-9. Lawrence never allowed Grinnell to mount another comeback, closing out the set 25-13 and securing the four-set conference-opening victory.
Hallie Neill directed the Lawrence offense with 23 assists, while Makenna Rettler added 13 assists. Aria Wessel anchored the defensive effort with 22 digs, and the Vikings finished with seven total team blocks.
Lawrence also finished the night hitting .201 as a team, compared to .080 for Grinnell, while holding a 7-2 advantage in team blocks.
