Box Score #13 Wayne State 3 Rollins (Fla.) 1

            Wayne State College needed 15 blocks and a double-double from redshirt freshman Jaci Brahmer as the 13^th-ranked Wildcats opened the 2017 volleyball season with a 3-1 win over Rollins (Fla.) Friday afternoon at the 2017 Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott Oredigger Classic in Golden, Colorado.  Scores of the match were 25-20, 19-25, 25-23 and 25-14.
            The first set was a battle that featured eight ties and six lead changes.  With WSC trailing 19-18, the 'Cats scored seven of the last eight points in the set to post a 25-20 win.  Highlighting the late Wildcat rally were a pair of kills from junior Maria Wortmann to go with a Wortmann and Tarrin Beller block while also forcing four Rollins attack errors.
            Rollins came back in the second set with a 25-19 win as the Tars hit .270 in the set with 17 kills to even the match. 
            The third set saw WSC hold off a late Rollins rally as the 'Cats registered a 25-23 set win.  The Wildcats had five service aces in the set, two from freshman Maddie Duffy and one each by Alyssa Ballenger, Haley Kauth and Hope Carter, to go with four blocks.
            WSC finished off the match in the fourth set with a 25-14 win, using five blocks while forcing Rollins into 10 attack errors.  Brahmer had four kills and four blocks to lead a balanced Wildcat effort to close out the match.
            Wayne State hit .184 for the match with 44 kills on 147 attacks and 17 errors while Rollins was right behind with a .181 attack percentage, recording 56 kills on 149 attempts with 29 errors.  Rollins held a 76-56 advantage in digs, but WSC held a sizeable 15-4 edge in blocks and had seven service aces to four by Rollins.
            Redshirt freshman Jaci Brahmer notched a double-double in her first Wildcat match, accounting for 13 kills and 11 blocks while hitting .345.  Senior Erin Gross followed with 12 kills and five blocks.  Junior middle hitter Maria Wortmann produced eight kills and four blocks while freshman Alyssa Ballenger was credited with seven kills and 13 digs.
            Sophomore libero Haley Kauth was one of four Wildcats in double figure digs with a team-high 14.  Senior Bree Ackermann added 13 with freshman Hope Carter coming up with 11.
            Carter and Maddie Duffy each had two service aces for the Wildcats while junior setter Megan Gebhardt handed out 37 set assists to go with seven blocks.
            Wayne State will play Eastern New Mexico at 4:30 p.m. in another match Friday at the 2017 Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott Oredigger Classic.