MILWAUKEE – In today's final day of the MMU Invite, the Blue Angels won game one against Finlandia University (0-24) by a score of 3-1, then defeated Dayspring Bible College and Seminary (3-9) in an exhibition match 3-0 to close out the two-day tournament.

Senior Alessa Nelson (Rockford, Ill.) got the offense going with a team high 31 assists against the Lions. Nelson has twice surpassed that mark in assists in her career; Nelson record 32 assists against Moody Bible in 2018 and 39 assists against Boyce in the same season.

Teammate Brianna Ecker (Fr./Fond du Lac, Wis.) led MMU's offense in their opening contest against Finlandia. Ecker started the offense with a team high five service aces and kept things going with a team high 13 kills.

Adrianna Nester (Sr./Anaheim, Calif.) again led her team with 14 digs against the Lions. Nester's offense helped her team collect the 3-1 win by adding 12 assists.

MMU was on the attack early on against the Lions. After grabbing an early lead, the Blue Angels landed 14 team kills in the opening set. MMU continued to attack accurately and finished the opening frame with a .250 kill percentage while forcing their opponent into three team kills. MMU took that first set 25-12.

The Blue Angels continued that approach in the second set. Pressuring on offense while forcing the opposition into four team errors. After the Blue Angels grabbed the early lead yet again, they finished the frame with their most effective set of the match. MMU landed 16 team kills while only missing with two attack errors on their way to a 25-9 set-win.

The Lions turned the tables in the third set landing with seven team kills and no errors in the entire set. Although MMU landed 16 team kills on their 41 attacks, the Lions grabbed the 25-22 win after forcing the Blue Angels into a match high nine attack errors in the set.

In the final set of the match, the Blue Angels returned to their earlier form landing with more accuracy. Of their 24 total attacks in the fourth MMU landed 11 kills while forcing the Lions into five attack errors. The Blue Angels took the lead midway through the set and never surrendered it on their way to a 25-13 set-win and overall victory.

In the last match of the six-team tournament, the Blue Angels took on Dayspring Bible College and Seminary in a late season exhibition match. The 3-0 win for MMU was rarely in doubt as they led the entirety of the first and third sets respectively.

Ecker again led the offense in the second match. This time, the freshman landed 10 kills and mixed in 12 assists to help her team to the 3-0 victory. Teammate Adrianna Nester also led the team with 10 kills of her own while also adding nine digs.

Alessa Nelson stirred up the offense again against the Eagles as she led in both assists and digs. The senior added 16 assists to her totals along with 18 digs.

Aislinn Strusz (So./Aurora, Ill.) hit with accuracy behind the service line against Dayspring Bible College and Seminary. Strusz finished the win with a team high three service aces.

After the Blue Angels opened up an early lead in the first with a 9-0 run, MMU forced the Eagles into a match high eight team kills. MMU's effective 10 team kills in 35 total attacks in the frame helped them cement the lead and go on to take the first set 25-15.

In the second set, the Blue Angels surged midway through the set to grab a 17-8 lead against their opponent. The Eagles then responded with a 12-1 run that gave them a late two-point lead. But the Blue Angels did not let the lead for Dayspring Bible College and Seminary last for very long. The Blue Angels came back with a 7-0 run to take the set 25-20.

The Blue Angels ended the invite with their most effective set of the day. Landing 14 team kills and only two attack errors in the final set helped the Blue Angels coast their way to a 25-11 set-win and exhibition-victory.

The Blue Angels will close out their regular season this Wednesday at the Bloechl Center. Moody Bible Institute will come to Milwaukee for the contest on Wed. Oct. 30 for a 7:00 pm contest. Live stats and video will be available for the regular season finale at MtMaryAthletics.com.