This Week in Blue Angel Athletics - August 30, 2021
Soccer, Volleyball, and Cross Country kick off their respective seasons in the first This Week in Blue Angel Athletics of 2021-22.
MILWAUKEE – Three Mount Mary University Athletic programs kick off their seasons this week, taking to the court, pitch, and course after nearly two years. A pair of crosstown rivals highlight Wednesday's slate, while all our Blue Angels take to the road on opening weekend in This Week in Blue Angel Athletics for Aug. 30-Sept. 5.
Soccer Kicks Off Wednesday with Home Opener
MMU Soccer hasn't played a game since October 2019, and this year's new-look Blue Angels will kick off the season with a big home opener Wednesday against Wisconsin Lutheran before trekking to the UP for a two-game series against Finlandia and Northland Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Mount Mary will see plenty of new faces get major minutes, returning just one player from its 2019 squad that went 3-15 overall. Sophomore Nyasia Hardy (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider) accounted for 40 percent of MMU's offense two years ago, and will step into a leadership role surrounded by 13 newcomers.
Wisconsin Lutheran (0-0) played a 2021 spring season, accruing a 3-5 record with wins over Lakeland and Alverno. Six Warriors scored a goal in their eight-game slate, led by Katie Wasiak's four goals and nine points overall, taking 33 total shots. Goalkeeper Lauren Butler accrued a .755 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average, playing all 720 minutes this spring.
Finlandia, like MMU, was idle in 2020-21. The Lions went 11-6-1 in 2019, falling in the ACAA Championship Game to UC-Santa Cruz, 7-0.
Northland amassed a 2-7 record playing a spring-only UMAC schedule. The Lumberjills knocked off Bethany Lutheran during the regular season, then beat North Central in the UMAC Consolation Tournament. Izzy Haverkampf led Northland with eight total points off four goals. Keeper Abby Wilson recorded nine complete games, amassing a 3.11 goals-against average and save percentage of .711.
Volleyball Ignites Inferno for Season Opener
MMU Volleyball also hasn't seen intervarsity competition since 2019, but will debut Wednesday in a road rumble with crosstown rival Alverno Wednesday at Reiman Gymnasium. The Blue Angels will then take to the road, competing against Loras, Marian, Benedictine, and host Lake Forest at LFC's Forester Invite Friday and Saturday.
Mount Mary returns seven from its 2019 campaign that went 6-23 overall. Led by All-ACAA Second Team honoree Brianna Ecker (Fond du Lac, Wis./Stockbridge), the Blue Angels welcome an additional seven newcomers to fill out a strong squad looking to contend for a C2C Tournament berth.
Alverno was also idle for the 2020-21 season, but went 1-26 in 2019—its lone victory coming over Mount Mary in sweeping fashion. The Inferno graduated a majority of its key contributors from 2019, including over 80 percent of its point production.
Lake Forest went 4-2 in its abbreviated spring season, led by Mary Gegen's 3.68 kills per set.
Loras finished its spring slate 6-3 overall including a 5-3 mark in the A-R-C. Jade Casper led the team with 3.24 kills per set, as the DuHawks return a lot of firepower from last season.
Marian went 3-7 in its spring season, securing victories over MSOE and Ripon. The Sabers present a pretty balanced attack, led by Monica Dreifuerst's 3.76 kills per set.
Benedictine also played a spring season, going 3-9 over a nearly-NACC-only slate. Yngride JeanPhillipe and Kaitlyn Estopare are the leading returners for the Eagles, combining for almost five points per set last spring.
Harriers hurry to Barry Saturday
Mount Mary Cross Country will stretch its legs in its season opener Saturday, traveling to Colburn Park in Green Bay for the annual Tom Barry Invitational. The event, hosted by St. Norbert, is a 5K race featuring several collegiate men's and women's teams from across the region.
MMU finished 10th out of 12 teams in 2019, led by returning runner Ellie McMeeken's (West Bend, Wis./Slinger) 47th place individual finish. Fellow returner Emily Green (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) finished just behind in 54th—nearly eclipsing the 24-minute mark. Five newcomers will help form this year's seven-member roster.
On the Calendar
Wednesday, September 1
4:00p – Soccer v. Wisconsin Lutheran (Blue Angel Soccer Field)
7:00p – Volleyball @ Alverno (Reiman Gymnasium – Milwaukee, Wis.)
Friday, September 3
4:00p – Volleyball @ Lake Forest (LFC Sports & Recreation Center – Lake Forest, Ill.)
6:00p – Volleyball v. Loras (LFC Sports & Recreation Center – Lake Forest, Ill.)
Saturday, September 4
10:00a – Volleyball v. Marian (LFC Sports & Recreation Center – Lake Forest, Ill.)
11:00a – Cross Country @ Tom Barry Invitational (Colburn Park – Green Bay, Wis.)
12:00p – Volleyball v. Benedictine (LFC Sports & Recreation Center – Lake Forest, Ill.)
6:00p – Soccer @ Finlandia (McAfee Field – Hancock, Mich.)
Sunday, September 5
11:00a – Soccer v. Northland (McAfee Field – Hancock, Mich.)