WHITEWATER, Wis. (Duhawks.com) – The Loras women's volleyball team continued its' strong play on day two of the "Dig Panici" classic earning a victory against Webster, 3-1, after suffering a tightly contested defeat to ninth-ranked UW-Whitewater, 3-0. The balanced Duhawk attack was once again the storyline as four players recorded double-digit kills in at least one match.

HOW IT HAPPENED - LORAS vs. UW-WHITEWATER
SET ONE
In the opening set against the No. 9 Warhawks (25-3), the Duhawks (20-12) proved they were up to the challenge as both teams traded points for much of the opening frame. However, a kill from freshman Claire Ritchie and a following attacking error from UW-Whitewater resulted in a Warhawk timeout with the Duhawks holding a 15-12 lead. Out of the timeout, the Warhawks mounted a comeback and pushed the game level at 23-all. Another UW-W attack error put the Duhawks ahead 24-23, but the Warhawks were able to rip off three straight points and close out set one 26-24.

SET TWO
Energized by a late run to take set one, the Warhawks came out on fire and opened up a 10-2 advantage that helped to bury the Duhawks early. The UW-W lead expanded further and grew to 16-5 at its largest point in set two before Loras sunk their teeth in and clawed their way back. The late run from the Duhawks featured back-to-back kills from Ritchie to make the score 24-16, but that would be the end of it as Loras dropped set two, 25-16.

SET THREE
In set three, the Duhawks showed no ill effects from the previous set in opening up a 3-0 early lead, which they were able to maintain up to 15-12 thanks to a six-point run, which featured two kills from junior Therese Schultz.  After another timely Warhawk timeout, both sides traded points and the Duhawks once again found the match tied late at 24.  After a kill from freshman Jenna LaCorte, the match was once again knotted up, this time at 28-all, but the Warhawks struck for two straight points to take the deciding set, 30-28.

HOW IT HAPPENED – LORAS vs. WEBSTER
SET ONE
The second match of the day for the Duhawks featured them against Webster (14-14). Set one was marred by mistakes for Loras, as they committed 10 attacking errors and hit at a meager .100. Although a Schultz kill evened up the score at 12, Webster cruised from there by opening a three-point advantage that the Duhawks couldn't overcome as they dropped set one, 25-22.

SET TWO
Following a disappointing set one, the Duhawks once again battled back-and-forth with the Gorloks early in set two.  However, two more Schultz kills which sandwiched an ace from junior Jenna Erickson helped the Duhawks find a 9-5 advantage. From there, the Duhawk attack never looked back and Loras made a statement with several runs in set two, which they closed out handedly 25-14.

SET THREE
With the match tied up at one, the Duhawks continued to trade points with Webster for a majority of set three.  After several ties and lead changes, the Duhawks took hold of set three thanks to two consecutive attack errors from the Gorloks, making the score 22-19. Once again, Schultz was able to close out the set with three consecutive kills, giving the Duhawks a 25-22 victory in set three.

SET FOUR
Unfortunately, Loras came out flat in set four and saw themselves down 15-9 midway through this frame. The Duhawks busted out of the funk with a 6-0 run to draw the game level at 15-all. Webster returned the favor with a 6-0 run of their own to take a 24-17 lead and put the match on the brink of a fifth set. However, thanks to a litany of Gorlok mistakes including 4 hitting errors and an ace from Erickson, the Duhawks capped an amazing comeback scoring 10 out of the remaining 11 points and came out with a 27-25 victory.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Therese Schultz | Schultz led the strong middle attack for the Duhawks on day two posting a combined 27 kills in the two matches while adding three blocks. An even more impressive line than the total stats for Schultz was her .600 hitting percentage (13K, 1E, 20A) in the first match against No. 9 UW-Whitewater.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Claire Ritchie and Therese Schultz were named All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the weekend. Ritchie finished with 42 kills and a .256 attack percentage, while contributing 80 assists and 33 digs. Schultz led the team in kills with 47 and operated at a .295 clip.

UP NEXT
Loras will wrap up the 2015 regular season on Wednesday with a crucial Iowa Conference match against Univ. of Dubuque. The Duhawks currently sit in in a three-way tie for second place and with a win, can put themselves in position for the No. 2 seed in the IIAC Tournament. Dubuque is 3-3 in conference play and is currently in a tie with Coe for the No. 5 seed.