RIPON, Wis.  – The Luther College put together another strong showing on the final day of the Ripon College Classic. After dropping their opening match of the day to St. Norbert College, the Norse rebounded with a key five set win over Maranatha Baptist. Thanks to the split, Luther is now 3-3 on the season. 

BY THE NUMBERS

The Norse rebounded with a big win over Maranatha Baptist after suffering their first sweep of the 2022 season. Luther struggled to generate offense against the Green Knights defense, as the top hitter, Sarina Stortz (Mable, Minn. / Mable-Canton), hit .364 from the middle with five kills and one error on 11 swings, while Kasandra Keller (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo) and Emma Kowalczyk (Colgate, Wis. / Catholic Memorial) both tallied double-digit kills with 14 and 11 respectively. 

The Norse found the best way possible to rebound in the second match, as they once again rallied to defeat the Sabercats by a final score of 3-2. After winning the first set 27-25, Luther dropped both the second and the third, making the fourth a must win set for the Norse. Winning is exactly was Luther did, as the team used timely defensive plays, particularly at the net, to win the fourth and force the fifth. In fact, the Norse tallied 11 team blocks, 104 digs and 12 aces against Maranatha Baptist, rebounding down 2-1 to win the match 3-2. 

TOP NORSE 

• Sophomore setter Emma Kowalczyk (Colgate, Wis. / Catholic Memorial) was named to the Ripon College Classic All-Tournament team after a career-high 45 assist performance in the win over the Sabercats. 
• Brianna Highum (Waseca, Minn. / Waseca) hit a season-high .268 against Maranatha Baptist, while Hannah LaBonte (Lake City, Minn. / Lincoln) hit .292 from the middle. 
• Sarina Stortz (Mable, Minn. / Mable-Canton) led the Norse defensive charge at the net, tallying five block assists in the five-set win over the Sabercats. 

UP NEXT

Luther will officially open the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) season on Tuesday, September 13, as the team travels to Coe College for his conference opener. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

For all the latest on Luther Volleyball, stay tuned to luthernorse.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.