Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Duhawks.com) – The Loras College Women's Volleyball team closed out the St. Kate's Invitational with a 3-1 win over Hamline University on Saturday morning. Paced by the phenomenal play of sophomore Danni Kennedy, the Duhawks took control of the match early, 2-0. Splitting the third and fourth sets, Loras finished the tournament 2-1 on the weekend.

The Duhawks move to 6-8 on the season. Hamline drops to 9-2 with the loss.

Kennedy had another strong outing for the Duhawks offense, finishing with 12 kills and adding nine digs. Sophomore Jenna Erickson and junior Christina Angeli each contributed a double-double. Erickson recorded 28 assists and 10 digs, while Angeli tallied a season-high 11 kills and 12 digs. Junior right side Kara Kentner played through early match troubles to finish with 11 kills, 14 digs, 18 assists. Freshman Haley Bergan collected a team-best 21 digs and added two assists and two aces.
As a team the Duhawks held the advantage in hitting (.203-.139), kills (56-49), assists (51-48), digs (80-69), and blocks (8-6).

With her team trailing 20-16 late in the first set, head coach Jenna Ness called a timeout. The Duhawks returned to the court trading points with the Pipers before a 3-0 run brought Loras within two. The shift in momentum brought about a Hamline timeout with the Duhawks trailing 23-21. The break failed the faze Loras, as a pair of kills from Kennedy and one from Angeli gave them the 24-23 advantage. From there, the Duhawks closed out the match (26-24) to take the 1-0 lead.

Loras carried its efficient attack into the second set while boosting its defensive effort. The Duhawks used a combination of a balanced attack and intimidating blocking to hold the Pipers to a .000 hitting percentage, on their way to a 25-17 win, and a commanding 2-0 match lead.

Trailing nearly the entire third set, on its way to a 25-21 loss, the Duhawks bounced back in the fourth set. With a 19-18 edge, Loras found themselves in front for the first time in the set. A block by Angeli and Kennedy moved the Duhawks lead to two, 20-18. With the point, the Pipers felt the match slipping away and called a timeout. Once again however, the break failed to stop the Duhawks as adjustments made by the Pipers were countered with adjustments on Loras' end.  Angeli led the attack while Kennedy picked up the defensive pressure with a few blocks, giving the Duhawks a 23-18 lead. Bergan took control from there, catching the Hamline serve receive on its heels with back-to-back aces to close the set, 25-18 in favor of the Duhawks.
 
Match Changer
Sophomore Brittany Lijewski continued to bolster the Duhawks back row, tallying 5 digs and her first career assist. Her stats however, were outshined by her quick motivational line during a Loras timeout. Out of the timeout Duhawks returned to the court, overcame a three point deficit, and went on to win the match.
 

Key Stat
Loras' middles combined for 19 kills on .250 hitting, adding 10 digs and 9 blocks. Sophomore Danni Kennedy carried her stellar play from Friday into the Duhawks early match, while junior Taylor Serrano turned in one of her best performances this season.

 
Notables

The Duhawks finish the weekend 2-1, the first time this year they've finished above .500 on a weekend.

Kennedy averaged 3.00 kills per set while hitting .333 on the weekend.

Four players record double-digit kills for the first time this season (Kennedy 12, Angeli 11, Kentner 11, Jendra 10).

After a slow start Kentner returned to form, recording her team-best ninth triple-double (11 kills, 14 digs, 18 assists).

 
Quotable
Duhawk Head Coach Jenna Ness
"This weekend is a positive turning point for our team. We improved overall, and that's evident from the way our blocking and team defense played a role in our matches. The girls came out strong this morning and adjusted as Hamline did. Even when Hamline forced us to play out of system, the girls played together and battled through to get the win."

 
Up Next
The Duhawks will return to action on Tuesday as they travel to Waverly, Iowa to take on Iowa Conference foe, Wartburg College. The match is set to start at 7:30 pm.