APPLETON, Wis. - Entering Saturday, Ripon and Lawrence had each won four matches in a row, but it was Lawrence that ended the day with a fifth straight, as they defeated the Red Hawks in four sets (23-25, 27-25, 20-25, 15-25). The match featured 18 ties and six lead changes, all of which occurred prior to the fourth set.

Lawrence (10-12, 5-2 MWC) recorded at least 15 kills in all four sets, while Ripon's high was 14 in the second frame. The Vikings also held the edge in hitting percentage, .232-.179.

Ripon (15-7, 4-2 MWC) was led by Katie Berrell and Paige Buddenhagen, whom each finished with 10 kills. Aubreigh Zimmerman and Kat Kulas each added eight kills, while Kulas also recorded a match-high four blocks (two solo). The Red Hawks also received 40 assists from Abbi Williamson, who also led the team with 18 digs. Brianna Rizzuto also chipped in with a team-high two service aces.

Lawrence recorded 14 service aces in the match, led by Arianna Neumeyer and Lauren Ray, who finished with four apiece. Neumeyer also led the team with 22 kills, to go along with a hitting percentage of .288. Claire Vinopal and Rachael Wuensch added 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

Both teams are still very much in the thick of the Midwest Conference playoff race. Ripon will try to keep pace with the top of the conference on Friday when they'll travel to Cornell College, who is currently in first place in the MWC standings. That match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.