Volleyball

GARY, Ind. – The Mount Mary College volleyball squad traveled to the southeast side of Chicago Saturday and came out of the two-match triangular with a 1-1 overall record. The Blue Angels defeated host Indiana University-Northwest 25-21, 25-14, 25-13 to open the day then fell to Lincoln Christian University also in sweeping fashion.

In the triangular-opener, Mount Mary came out and played well after the 3-hour drive against the host Red Hawks, picking apart their defense. The Blue Angels had more or less free range at the net, able to work several different shots into their offensive repertoire.

"I really enjoyed watching our team play during this match," head coach Kelsey Peterson said. "They worked really well as a unit and I feel like everyone contributed. Our new rotation felt more comfortable in this match and not nearly as many adjustments had to be made. Probably our biggest weakness in this match was missed serves. We are continually working on keeping them in but also consistently aggressive. Beth Baxter is a server who does this really well; she serves tough but usually to the zones I give her. Steph Gratz and Alexis Hafemeister are continuing to improve in their new positions in the front row, which I'm really proud of them for."

Facing a back-to-back match for the second time this season, Mount Mary battled a very potent squad from Lincoln Christian University, eventually falling in straight sets 0-3. The Lions were much more physical in the match, pushing Mount Mary's scrappy defense to the limit. But LCU proved to have too much firepower at the net, taking the match.

"Despite coming straight from a win over IU Northwest, it felt like our team started out playing scared against Lincoln Christian," Peterson said. "LCU was a big team with strong players, but it seemed that we weren't giving ourselves a chance to perform to our full potential.

"However, as that first set continued on, I think our team finally realized they can hang with LCU and started playing like it. While our shorter front row had difficulty putting up blocks, our back row defense made up for it and communicated a lot more. I think the most important thing the team learned from this match was to not get down when things weren't going their way; they persevered and supported each other and continued to have fun despite losing."

Mount Mary returns to action with another busy week, hosting Lake Forest College Tuesday and Northland International Friday before heading to Milwaukee School of Engineering for pair of Saturday afternoon matches.