ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Mount Mary University volleyball team split their two matches today at the Rockford Invitational. The Blue Angels lost to host Rockford University 3-0 in the invite's first match, then MMU turned around and won their first match of the 2018 season in a 3-1 victory over Moody Bible Institute.
In the day's first match, the host Regents jumped out to an early lead. Rockford attacked efficiently hitting 11 team kills in the first set off 26 total attacks. The Blue Angels countered with seven team kills in their 24 attacks, but the Regents attack yielded a 25-21 winning set for the host.
The Regents took another early lead in the second match and did not surrender it throughout the entire 25 points. Although the attack percentage dropped from .269 in the first set to .083 in the second for the Regents, MMU's 11 attack errors left Rockford with a 25-13 winning second set.
In the final set of the day, the Regents took the initial lead, but the Blue Angels battled back into the game. Falling behind 6-2, the Blue Angels were able to tie things at 9-9 before the Regents went on a 11-6 run to separate things and take the final set 25-17 for the match win.
Alexis Levenhagen (Fr./Menomonee Falls, Wis.) led the offensive attack in game one for MMU with six kills on 16 total attacks. Newcomer Alyssa Davis (Milwaukee, Wis./Fr.) led the MMU defense with three block assists.
In the day's second match, the Blue Angels took on Moody Bible Institute. The Archers went in front early, but MMU would come back to tie MBI in the first set four different times after the Archers took a lead. MMU finally jumped ahead in the first set when Alessa Nelson (Jr./Rockford, Ill.) set teammate Lauren Harris (Sr./Sheridan, Ill.) for the go-ahead kill at 19-18. The Archers finished the set on a 7-2 run to take the first set.
The Blue Angels bounced right back in the next set. After trading the lead early, MMU went on an 8-2 run sparked my Marissa Tun (Sr./Greenfield, Wis.). The Blue Angels hit nine team kills on 26 total attacks with only three errors in the set. The efficiency led to the 25-15 set win: the first winning set of 2018 for the Blue Angels.
MMU was not done there, the team rattled off two of the most efficient sets back-to-back in the third and fourth sets this season. First the Blue Angels won the third set by taking a 12-7 lead, and hitting 11 team kills on 33 attacks.
That effectiveness parlayed into the fourth set when MMU committed just one attack error in their 29 team attacks. With the 12 kills and forcing their opponent to deal six team attack errors, the Blue Angels were able to capture the 25-21 set win and their first match win of the early season.
Adrianna Nester (Jr./Anaheim, Calif.) and Lauren Harris led MMU in the second match with 11 kills each. Teammate Alessa Nelson kept her team's offense going with a team high 32 assists in the match. Alyssa Davis again led the defense with three block assists and one block solo.
The Blue Angels continue to play on the road this next week as they head to Beloit College on Fri. Sept. 21 to take on the Buccaneers. First serve for the match is scheduled for 7:00 pm. For news, updates and scores, check out MtMaryAthletics.com.
