OSHKOSH, Wis. (Duhawks.com) – The Loras College Women's Volleyball team finished the Titans Classic even at 2-2 after splitting a pair of matches on Saturday. The Duhawks topped Webster University in a defensive battle, 3-2, to start the day before falling to tournament host UW-Oshkosh, 3-0.

Loras opened their first match with a convincing set one win over Webster University. The Duhawks middles, junior Taylor Serrano and sophomore Danni Kennedy, paced the attack allowing them to take an early lead. Webster would attempt a comeback late but the Duhawks stood tall, closing the set on a tip by junior Kara Kentner 25-17.
The Duhawks continued their strong play in the second set, jumping out to an 11-9 lead after a kill by junior Liz Jendra. On the ensuing point, a long rally fell in favor of the Gorlocks as the Duhawks attack fell just outside the back line. The point sparked a 6-0 run by Webster, giving them control of the set 15-9. The Duhawks chipped away at the deficit but every Loras run was countered with one by Webster until the Gorlocks took the set, 25-18.

Loras' hopes of retaking the lead in the match were quickly washed away in the third set as the Gorlocks rattled off five straight to open the set. The early deficit was too much for the Duhawks to overcome as Webster cruised to a 25-13 win to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set, the teams traded points until a kill by the Gorlocks gave them a three point advantage. Kennedy fueled Loras' comeback, starting it off with a cross-court kill that paint the corner. On the next point, Kennedy denied the Webster attack with a strong solo block at the net. The next point played over a long rally ended with Kennedy tipping the ball the middle of the court, catching the Gorlocks defense on their heels, tying the score at 16. After playing through three ties, another kill from Kennedy put Loras in front for good, 20-19. Loras closed the set on a 5-0 run, capped by a kill from Serrano, to take the set 25-19 and knot the match at two.

Unable to carry the momentum into the fifth set, Loras found themselves trailing by three until Kennedy kick started the Duhawk attack. A pair of kills by the sophomore standout was followed by an attacking error, tying the set at seven. With momentum swinging back in favor of the Duhawks, Webster called a timeout. Unfazed by the pause in play, Loras responded with a 5-2 run to take a 12-9 lead, bringing about another timeout by Webster. Once again, the timeout did little to break Loras' momentum as they took the set, 15-10, on a kill by sophomore Tara Blake.

In their second match of the day, the Duhawks faced off against tournament host, UW-Oshkosh. The Titans opened set one with a 7-3 run, leading the entire way as Loras fell 25-17.

It seemed as though the Duhawks were going to level the match at one, holding a 16-11 lead after a kill by Jendra. After a service error by the Duhawks, UW-Oshkosh scored three straight points to pull with one, 16-15. At that point, Loras Head Coach Jenna Ness called a timeout with hopes of putting an end to the Titans' run. Unfortunately for the Duhawks, UW-Oshkosh scored two points out of the break to take their first lead of the match, 17-16. A block by Schultz ended the Titans run but only temporarily as the Duhawks deficit grew to three, 20-17. Refusing to give up, a kill by Schultz sparked a 5-1 Loras run, capped a block from Kennedy and Kentner. Leading 22-21, the Duhawks failed to score as UW-Oshkosh closed the set on a 4-0 run.

In the third set, the Titans opened with a lead once again. Despite countless attempts to climb back into the match, Loras could not overcome the early deficit as they fell 25-17.

Match Changer
The defense of the Duhawks was the difference on Saturday. In Loras' win over Webster, they held a 103-78 advantage in digs. Haley Bergan led the team with 27 while Jenna Erickson recorded a career-high 20 digs in the match. Courtney Boyd (14) and Kara Kentner (15) also recorded double digits. In their loss to UW-Oshkosh, the Duhawks tallied 59 digs compared to the Titans' 55.

Key Stat
In the first set of Loras' match with UW-Oshkosh, the Duhawks were held to .000 hitting while the Titans hit .211.

Notables

• Loras has played five sets in eight of their last nine matches.
• With 103 digs in their match against Webster, Loras set a new season-high.
• The Duhawks finish the Titan Classic 2-2 after going 1-1 on each day.
• Haley Bergan and Kara Kentner were named to the Titan Classic All-Tournament team.
• With a win on Wednesday, the Duhawks can extend their season and qualify for the conference tournament.

Next Up
The Duhawks celebrate senior day in the Athletic & Wellness Center in Dubuque, Iowa. Loras will square off against crosstown foe, University of Dubuque, in their regular season finale at 7:30 pm.