#3 Wayne State 3 #10 Nebraska-Kearney 2
#3 Wayne State College outlasted #10 Nebraska-Kearney in a non-conference college volleyball five-set thriller Tuesday evening at Rice Auditorium in Wayne before a new single game attendance mark of 1,536 fans. Scores of the match were 30-28, 25-27, 25-22, 16-25 and 15-12. The Wildcats remain unbeaten at 11-0 on the season while UNK falls to 10-3. The win also snapped a three-year losing streak to the Lopers as the Wildcats beat UNK in volleyball for the first time since the 2006 season when WSC set a then-attendance mark of 1,382 fans on October 18, 2006.
The visiting Lopers jumped out early in the first set on WSC, taking a 15-8 lead. The Wildcats mounted a furious rally and took an 18-16 lead following a kill by Nicole Brungardt. WSC built a 23-18 advantage, only to find UNK rally and take a 27-26 lead. With the score tied at 28-28, the Wildcats used a service ace by Diedra Artz and a kill by Shelby Schultz to close out the Lopers 30-28 in the first set.
The second set was tight all the way with neither team leading by more than three points. Tied at 25-25, UNK used a service ace by Katlyn Heiserman and a kill by Ashley Leitner to score a 27-25 win and even the match at 1-1.
WSC built an 8-3 lead early in the third set and was up 11-4, but the Loper struck back with seven straight points to even the set at 11-11. UNK would take a 17-14 lead before WSC mounted a rally and scored four straight to regain the lead at 18-17. After UNK took a 19-18 lead, the Wildcats got the next three points and led 21-19 and used a Cori Hobbs kill to end the third set with a 25-22 win.
UNK recorded a match high 19 kills in the fourth set and controlled the Wildcats for a 25-16 win to force a fifth and deciding set. In the fifth set both teams battled back and forth early and were tied at 4-4 until WSC forced UNK to take back to back timeouts as WSC took a 9-5 lead following a kill by Tali Fredrickson. The 'Cats maintained their advantage thanks to the raucous Rice Auditorium crowd and used a Fredrickson kill to finish off the Lopers and win 15-12 in the fifth set.
Nebraska-Kearney held a .180-.143 hitting advantage over WSC in the match. Tali Fredrickson had 16 kills and 20 digs for her fifth double-double in the last six matches for the Wildcats. Jennifer Hefner added 15 kills and nine blocks for the Wildcats. Junior libero Leigh Connot notched a team-high 24 digs with Nicole Brungardt adding 16 and McKenna Reagan 15. Senior setter Diedra Artz handed out 47 set assists and had four service aces for the Wildcats.
For Nebraska-Kearney, Ariel Krolikowski had 24 kills and 27 digs followed by Jeri Walkowiak with 17 kills. Ashley Leitner had 12 kills with Ellie Pesavento adding 11 kills and eight blocks.
Wayne State returns to Northern Sun Conference play this weekend, traveling to Northern State Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and the University of Mary Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.
