Box Score The Warhawk volleyball team, ranked seventeenth in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, bounced back from a loss Tuesday night to upset ninth ranked Elmhurst College 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 19-25, 15-13) in Whitewater Wednesday.

Photo Gallery (courtesy of Amanda Ong)

UW-W gained a small lead at the beginng of the set, 3-1, and held on for the win to set the tone for the rest of the match.

Leanna Lillge (Ixonia/Watertown) really got things going for the Warhawks in set with a kill to give UW-W a 4-3 lead. Then the junior rattled off eleven straight serves including two aces to extend Whitewater's lead to 13-3. The Bluejays would battle back with nine of the next eleven points to bring the score to 16-12 still in favor of the Warhawks. Whitewater capitalized on another run to put the set out of reach and take an early 2-0 lead in the match.

Elmhurst turned the tables on the Warhawks in set three. It was the Bluejays who gained a small lead and held on just as the Warhawks had done in the opening set. The result was the same with a score of 25-21 but the victor was different with EC extending the match to set four.

The teams traded small runs and the lead for the first part of set four until a 4-0 run by the Bluejays gave EC the lead 13-11. Whitewater and Elmhurst traded points with EC holding the lead until another small run late in the set by the Bluejays put the set out of reach and forced the decisive final set.

The Warhawks found themselves in a hole, down 4-0 to start set five. Then, trailing 9-7, the Warhawks turned up the pressure and swung the momentum in their direction with four straight points off of three kills and an Elmhurst error. The two point lead was all UW-W would need as they held on to take the set 15-13, and the match 3-1.

Whitewater led in almost every team category. UW-W pounded 58 kills in the match, ten more than Elmhurst. The Warhawks posted 86 digs in the contest compared to 80 for their opponents. UW-W also recorded ten more assists than EC. The Bluejays held the advantage in service aces, 7-5, and blocks with 11 total compared to 9 total for UW-W.

Four Warhawks hit for double figure kills led by Lillge's 17, her fifteenth consecutive match with ten or more. Kristen Ruchti (Brodhead/Brodhead) pounded down 13 kills and teammates Brittney Langley (Winnebago, IL/Winnebago) and Caroline Langer (Menomonee Falls/Milwaukee Pius XI) each posted 11. Kim Frei (West Bend/West Bend West) dished out 51 assists in match. Lillge also added three aces from the service line.

On the defensive side of the ball, Kelsey Nobilio (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) posted 28 digs followed by Lillge's 16 and Chelsea Mutton (Rockford, IL/Rockford East) added 13. Ruchti, Langley and Ariel Johnston (Rockford, IL/Guilford) each made their presence known at the net defensively with combining for 13 blocks, two solo by Ruchti and 11 total assisted.

The Warhawks will travel to Holland, Michigan for a tournament hosted by Hope College this weekend. Matches are scheduled for Friday, October 12 at 5:00 and 7:00 against Dominican and Hope respectively. Saturday's matches pin Whitewater against Calvin and Wisconsin Lutheran at 12:00 and 2:00.



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