Contact: Nathan Cameron, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7243

Oct. 1, 2021 - The Loras College women's volleyball team (13-3, 2-1 A-R-C) welcomed alumni, family and friends back to Lillis Court on Friday night as they kicked off the Homecoming Weekend festivities in an American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) matchup against the Luther College Norse (2-16, 0-4 A-R-C). The Duhawks made quick work of the Norse, winning in straight sets to secure their second conference win of the season. 

Liz Fleckenstein got the Duhawks rolling in the first set putting down the first point of the match on a pass from Sara Hoskins to immediately go up but the Norse responded with three straight of their own. The lead was short lived, however, as Cat Gleason, Lyndsi Wilgenbusch and Moira Mixan each posted a kill in a four-point run to take the lead again at 5-3. The score stayed close through the middle of the set, with the Norse tying the score again at 7-7 before Fleckenstein floored three in a row to give the Duhawks the lead at 10-7. Loras held the lead through the end of the set, ending the set on a pair of Norse errors to take a 25-18 set victory. 

Hoskins started the second set at the service line for the Duhawks, and scored a pair of aces while the Norse gave up four more on errors to put Loras up 6-0 from the jump. The Duhawks put the pedal to the floor in the middle of the set with Olivia Smith sparking an eight-point scoring run that saw Sam Stoffregen put down two aces and take advantage of four Luther errors to give the Duhawks a wide 18-4 lead late in the set. The Norse didn't quit despite being down by 15 on the Duhawks' set point, as they took advantage of three Loras errors and floored three kills to score six straight in a comeback effort, but the effort was shut down by Wilgenbusch who threw down a kill to close out the set 25-15. 

The Norse struck first in the third set and held a 3-1 lead early, but as was the story all night, the lead was spoiled by the Duhawks' offense as they scored seven in a row with only two of the points coming from Norse errors. The Duhawks didn't let up through the middle of the set, going up by six after Fleckenstein and Gleason put down back-to-back kills followed by a Norse error to bring the score to 16-10. The match ended with the Duhawks putting six straight on the board with Talia McAtee at the service line with the match coming to a close in similar fashion as the set prior as Wilgenbusch put one home to take the match in straight sets. 

Hoskins, a sophomore setter, had an incredible night on both sides of the ball, notching a career-best four service aces while holding down the net defensively with four blocks in the match. Stoffregen performed at the service line, as well, flooring three aces of her own while Gleason added one. Fleckenstein led the match in kills with 12 to her name as Wilgenbusch tallied 11. 

The Duhawks return to action Friday, Oct. 8 as they travel to Pella, Iowa to take on the Dutch from Central College. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.