DUBUQUE, Iowa — Lawrence University volleyball split a pair of matches Friday at the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center, taking down Loras in four sets before falling to Wartburg in three.
Game 1: Lawrence 3, Loras 1
After dropping a tight opening set, Lawrence responded in dominant fashion to knock off Loras 23-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-18.
The Vikings finished the match with 65 kills while hitting .338 as a team, committing just 15 attacking errors over four sets. Lawrence hit better than .300 in every set, including a match-best .395 in the third.
Audrey Weier led a balanced Lawrence attack with 18 kills on just 31 swings, hitting .516 for the match. Bella Van Lannen added 16 kills, while Emma Nilson delivered a huge performance in the middle with 15 kills and no errors on 20 attempts for a .750 hitting percentage.
The opening set featured 10 ties as neither side was able to create much separation. Lawrence erased a late deficit and pulled even at 23-23 on consecutive Nilson kills, but Loras scored the final two points to take the set 25-23.
Lawrence quickly flipped the match in the second. The Vikings rolled to a 25-14 victory and never looked back, following with wins of 25-19 and 25-18 to close out the match. Hallie Neill handed out 27 assists and recorded four service aces, Ally Corrente added 24 assists and Aria Wessel finished with 13 digs.
Game 2: Wartburg 3, Lawrence 0
Lawrence battled throughout its second match of the day, but Wartburg came away with a 25-19, 25-20, 26-24 victory.
Van Lannen led the Vikings offensively with 12 kills while hitting .265. Weier added eight kills and Meg Pfannerstill finished with six. Corrente recorded 16 assists, Neill added 11 and Wessel led the back row with nine digs. Lawrence also totaled five team blocks.
The Vikings saved their strongest push for the third set. Lawrence worked through eight ties and six lead changes before building a 17-13 advantage midway through the frame. The Vikings later stretched the lead to 24-20 and stood one point away from extending the match, but Wartburg answered with the final six points to escape with a 26-24 victory and complete the sweep.
