WAVERLY, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras women's volleyball team completed its first day of competition at the IIAC-NACC Crossover Challenge with an undefeated 2–0 record on Friday night. Against Edgewood, the Duhawks benefited from late-set heroics to best the Eagles in four sets, (25–23, 25–19, 25–22, 26–24). In the nightcap versus Dominican, Loras took a hotly-contested set one, but then dropped a one-sided second frame before regrouping to win sets three and four (27–25, 25–18, 25–21, 25–20).
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Loras vs. Edgewood
SET ONE
- A string of four consecutive Loras errors opened up a four-point advantage for Edgewood as they led 14–10 in the first set.
- Trailing 22–21, senior Jenna Erickson directed the Duhawks on a 4–2 run, that included two service aces, finishing the frame in Loras' favor, 25–23.
SET TWO
- The Eagles came out regrouped in set two, taking a 15–9 lead halfway through the frame.
- Multiple errors from Edgewood allowed the Duhawks to chip away at the deficit, cutting the Eagle lead to one at 19–18.
- Regaining their early form, Edgewood ran off five of the next six points to finish off Loras in the second set, 25–19.
SET THREE
- The Eagles got off to a fast start once again in set three, using a pair service aces to force a timeout from head coach Jenna Ness.
- Freshman Jessalyn Roling checked in briefly at this juncture to relieve sophomore Claire Ritchie and recorded the first assist of her career as a Duhawk on a kill from freshman Carlee Beck.
- Trailing 19–14, Loras went on an 9–1 run to take control of the third set at 23–20 before Ritchie closed the book on the set with a kill to give Loras the upper hand, 25–22.
SET FOUR
- The Duhawks were sluggish out of the gates in the fourth set and as a result, found themselves trailing by as many as seven at 17–10.
- As was the case in the earlier sets, Loras found its stride late, starting a 9–4 run to bring matters even following a kill from senior Therese Schultz.
- Tied at 24, Loras finished off Edgewood with two consecutive tallies to take set four, 26–24, and the match, 3–1.
Loras vs. Dominican
SET 1
- In a very back-and-forth opening frame, the Stars took the lead with three consecutive points to open a 16–14 advantage, prompting a timeout from Ness.
- With their backs to the wall trailing 25–24, the Duhawks rallied behind senior Danni Kennedy who provided three straight kills, giving Loras the 27–25 victory.
SET 2
- In the second frame, a litany of Duhawk errors put the Stars in the driver's seat with a commanding 21–11 lead.
- Despite a late-set comeback, this advantage proved too great for Loras as Dominican evened the match at 1–1, winning set two 25–18.
SET 3
- Clinging to an 11–10 lead, the Duhawks ran off four of the next five points to force a timeout from the Stars following a Schultz kill.
- Dominican battled back from being down as much as five and used a six-point run of their own to take a 19–18 lead.
- As was the case throughout day one, Loras was on its game when it mattered most, scoring seven of the last nine points to take set three, 25–21, and take a 2–1 lead in the match.
SET 4
- The Stars responded in a hurry after dropping set three, scoring the first four points of the fourth set.
- After taking an 11–10 lead, the Duhawks gave up the second four-point run of the set and were forced to take a timeout trailing 14–11.
- The match looked destined for a deciding fifth set with Loras down 20–17 following an attack error late in the frame. However, a kill from Kennedy sparked a seven-point serving run by the Dyersville, Iowa native to complete an improbable fourth set comeback.
- Freshman Kelly Boge cinched the bow on the match with her 10th kill of the night, capping the 3–1 win for the Duhawks.
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Jenna Erickson | The senior from Springfield, Ill. showed her full compliment of abilities, racking up 24 assists, 12 digs and two service aces in the Duhawks' win.
Danni Kennedy | Kennedy's presence at the net propelled Loras to the four-set victory as the senior middle blocker totaled 14 kills, 5 digs and 4.0 total blocks.
UP NEXT
Loras will look to complete a 4–0 weekend at the IIAC-NACC Crossover Challenge in Waverly with matches on Saturday against Lakeland and Concordia Wisconsin.
