APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence women's volleyball team turned in a strong all-around performance Wednesday night, sweeping Wisconsin Lutheran College 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-19) at Alexander Gym.
Lawrence controlled the match from the start, hitting .250 as a team while holding Wisconsin Lutheran to a .036 hitting percentage. The Vikings also finished with six team blocks and 52 digs in the straight-set victory.
Bella Van Lannen led the Lawrence attack with 11 kills while adding three digs and a block. Emma Nilson was highly efficient offensively, finishing with eight kills on 17 attacks for a .412 hitting percentage. Audrey Weier added six kills while hitting .357, and Meg Pfannerstill contributed five kills.
Hallie Neill directed the offense throughout the night, recording a team-high 19 assists while also adding two kills. Makenna Rettler chipped in 13 assists as the Vikings consistently found ways to generate offense from multiple spots on the floor.
Lawrence jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set, building an 8-2 lead before Wisconsin Lutheran rallied. The Vikings weathered the comeback and pulled away late, closing the set on a 5-0 run to take the opener 25-20.
The Vikings carried that momentum into the second set. Lawrence used a 7-0 run to turn a 5-5 tie into a 12-5 advantage and continued to control the set despite a late Wisconsin Lutheran push. A kill from Nilson finished off the 25-21 victory and put Lawrence one set away from the sweep.
Wisconsin Lutheran grabbed an early lead in the third, but Lawrence quickly answered. The Vikings eventually took control with a 14-12 advantage and continued to build separation before finishing off the match 25-19.
Lawrence finished with 36 kills compared with 28 for Wisconsin Lutheran and committed just 12 attack errors. The Vikings also held an advantage in hitting percentage in all three sets, finishing at .200, .268 and .267, respectively.
