WHITEWATER, Wis. (Sept. 3, 2022) – Loras College women's volleyball team wasn't short on success on day two of the Wisconsin Blast tournament on Saturday afternoon as the Duhawks improved to 3-1 on the season after earning sweeps over both Finlandia University (0-4) and Rockford University (1-2).

The Duhawks picked up where they left off yesterday as they stormed to another sweep in their first match against the Lions. A pair of freshmen pins in Sophie Younkin and Allie Burke led the way and combined for 11 kills in the contest while Burke produced a .400 attack percentage.

Finlandia kept pace early on in the first set, but a huge run for the Duhawks widened the gap substantially. Four Lions attack errors followed by back-to-back service aces from sophomore Cat Gleason sparked what would grow to be a 19-6 run to propel the Duhawks to a set one victory.

Loras trailed 8-7 early in set two, but again found a groove and rattled off 11 straight points with junior Sara Hoskins on the serve. Set two was an efficient one for the Duhawks as they registered an attacking percentage of .478 while committing just two errors.

Sophomore setter Emily Thompson helped kickstart Loras' third set as she assisted on a kill from Burke before rattling off back-to-back service aces. The Duhawks never rattled off a big run in the third set, but easily cruised to a 25-15 victory to earn the sweep.

Head coach Kristy Duncan's team was stellar on the serve with 12 aces in the match. Loras also came up with six total blocks compared to just three for the Lions.

Loras carried that momentum into their fourth and final game of the Wisconsin Blast tournament as they made easy work of the Rockford Regents.

The Duhawks registered double-digit kills in each set, including 17 in the first set to set the tone for the match. Loras dominated nearly every statistical category as they held the advantage in kills (40-11), blocks (4-1), and service aces (11-1).

Rockford stayed close early, but the Duhawks outscored the Regents 12-3 to finish out the first set. Loras never trailed by more than two points for the rest of the match as they kept the Regents out of the 20s in all three sets.

Gleason and senior pin James Keefe led the offense in match No. 2 of the day, each finishing with nine kills to lead all attackers. Gleason racked up her nine kills on just 12 attempts as she accumulated a .750 attacking percentage.

Hoskins was on her game as well as she dished out 29 assists in the match. The junior also tied sophomore Riley Deere for the team lead with 13 digs apiece and added five kills and three service aces to stuff the stat sheet.

Loras continues with early season tournament play next week when they participate in the Marilyn Scribner Invitational at Wheaton College. The Duhawks' first of three games in Wheaton, Ill. is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9 at 8 P.M. versus Benedictine University.