ROCK ISLAND, Ill.. – The Luther College volleyball team was looking to rebound from its American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) opener Tuesday night. The Norse traveled to Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois to take on a handful of tough nonconfernece opponents in Monmouth College and Marion University. Despite two hard fought battles, Luther was unable to close Friday with a victory, falling to the Scots 3-1 (25-20, 25-27, 10-25, 21-25) and Sabres 3-2 (22-25, 25-15, 20-25, 25-16, 10-15). The Norse are now 3-6 overall and 0-1 in A-R-C play.
MATCH #1: Luther (1) vs. Monmouth (3)
The Norse got off to a hot start, winning the first set 25-20 behind 12 team kills and a huge serving run by Kasandra Keller. The second set, though, proved to be a back-and-forth affair, neither Luther nor Monmouth to gain a greater advantage than two points. Every time one team would take a seemingly significant lead, the other would answer with a run of its own, resulting in a 22-22 draw in the later stages of the set. It was the Norse that seemingly regained the momentum, as they saw two set points come their way, going up 24-23 and 25-24. However, the Scots won three consecutive points, claiming the set 27-25 to even the match 1-1.
From there, Luther did not regain the momentum in the third, losing 25-10 to fall behind 2-1 in the match. However, the Norse showed fight in the fourth, nearly overcoming a seven-point deficit to force a decisive fifth set. A victory, though, was not in the cards for Luther, as the team fell in the fourth set 25-21 and the match 3-1 (25-20, 25-27, 10-25, 21-25).
MATCH #2: Luther (2) vs. Marion (3)
After a tough loss in the opening match of the night, the Norse were looking for a rebound win against Marion in their second match of the day. An opening set win by the Sabers, though, put Luther in an early 1-0 deficit. The Norse, though, dominated in the second, earning a crucial 25-14 victory, swinging the momentum back in their direction by evening the match 1-1.
The third set was an all out battle, as the two teams duked it out for supremacy early and often in the set. However, in the closing points, it was Marion who eventually gained a lead, taking a 2-1 lead in the match after a 25-20 victory in the third.
Again, Luther rebounded, winning the fourth set 25-16 to force the decisive fifth set. Back-and-forth play once again defined the early stages of the set until the Sabres went on a five point serving run to take an 11-6 lead over the Norse. Luther, though, battled back with a ferocity, cutting the lead to 11-8 and eventually 13-10 thanks to an ace from Hannah LaBonte. Offensive and defensive miscues, though, proved costly for the Norse, as they dropped the fifth set 15-10 and the match 3-1 (22-25, 25-14, 20-25, 25-16, 10-15).
TOP NORSE
UP NEXT
Luther will close its trip to Illinois on Saturday, as it takes on Augustana College at 12:30 p.m. CT.
For all the latest on Luther Volleyball, stay tuned to luthernorse.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
