Norse volleyball splits weekend action
MILWAUKEE – The Norse Volleyball Team (5-13, 2-4 MCCAA) earned a split over the weekend in some non-conference action.
Bay was swept in three straight sets on Friday at Milwaukee Area Tech (21-4) 25-19, 25-22, and 25-14. Bay bounced back on Saturday defeating Bryant & Stratton (WI) 25-22, 26-28, 25-20, 17-25, and 15-13.
The Stormers limited their errors on Friday, which turned out to be the difference in the match. Bay committed 13 receiving errors, eight serving errors, and 15 ball handling errors while MATC had just four receiving errors, seven serving errors, and one ball handling error.
The Norse had an efficient attack in the first set and was ten of 18 with a .444 percentage, but dropped off sharply from there. They finished with a .177 kill percentage for the match while the Stormers had a .240 percentage.
Mia Hauser (FR, Wallace, MI) led Bay with six kills and also had nine digs. Rylee Hansen (FR, Marinette, WI) and Piper Monroe (SO, Menominee, MI) had five kills. Kayla Swanson (FR, Wallace, MI) and Ella Brand (FR, Ishpeming, MI) each had nine assists. Jade Jasenovsky (FR, Menominee, MI) had 15 digs and Riley Moore (SO, Chatham, MI) finished with ten digs.
The Norse were able to battle through some of the errors that have plagued them to pull out a win on Saturday. This time they were able to find more success on the offensive side as opposed to the Bobcats, as Bay had 22 attack errors while Bryant and Stratton had 33. Eight blocks and ten assisted blocks ended up being a big difference in the match for the Norse as their opponents collected just three solo blocks.
The Norse were led by Monroe who amassed 22 kills, five solo blocks, five assisted blocks and hit at a .348 rate. Hansen picked up 12 kills with a .242 hitting percentage while Saxton finished with ten kills. Swanson had 27 assists and 13 digs while Brand ended with 21 assists.
Jasenovsky was the defensive leader for the Norse with 24 digs. Moore chipped in 23 digs and Hilarie Pocaro (SO, Menominee, MI) added 19 digs.
The Norse jump back into conference play at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday with a trip to Montcalm Community College.